Friday December 1, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 48 |
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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Bits & Bytes |
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| Rep hosts Great Gatsby, new Memory House, 5th Avenue opens charming White Christmas, Wicked Xmas opens at Cabaret de Paris | |
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by Milton W. Hamlin -
SGN A&E Writer Seattle entertainment fans have survived a week of ice and snow and finally get to turn the calendar page. Ah-it's December 1 with a full month of holiday events ahead. And don't forget-it's not too early to plan for New Year's Eve outings--Bits&Bytes can guarantee that the month will fly by all-too-quickly. GREAT GATSBY CONTINES TO PACK IN CROWDS AT SEATTLE REP PREMIERE The Seattle Repertory Theatre has one of its strongest audience hits in recent years with its solid production of a new stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The new stage script's world premiere was this summer at the new Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis where David Esbjornson, the Rep's new artistic director, helmed the premiere. For the Emerald City, Esbjornson basically replicates the staging and uses most of the cast from the Guthrie production. While there have been minor changes in staging and casting, the production is a win-win event for both theaters. Technically, it is not a co-production-it is "in association with The Great Gatsby Green Light LLC" group. The Great Gatsby has had multiple film and stage adaptations-all failing, to some degree, to capture the essence of Fitzgerald's classic literary work. While this latest version by Simon Levy comes closer than most, it is still a plot driven adaptation of a book that is memorable for its style. The melodramatic events that propel the story have to remain, but these very plot complications often land with a soft thud in the sparkling production. One of the most effective moments-an illustration of what great wealth can do-has one character unwrapping new shirts and throwing them in the air. Suddenly, dozens of other shirts spiral down from the overhead fly space of the theater. The stylized, symbolic moment is true to the moment, true to the book, true to the spirit of the play. The hardworking cast gives solid performances. Daisy Buchanan is the illusive, hard-to-play center of the story. Here, Heidi Armbruster does solid work but never really captures the essence of Fitzgerald's Daisy. Erik Heger is a fine Tom Buchanan and Lorenzo Pisoni is a memorable Gatsby. The ensemble cast is effective. (Because of much of Gatsby, like most of Fitzgerald's work, is autobiographical, fans of the book and the adaptations enjoy making comparisons to the real life Scott and Zelda-the inspirations for Jay and Daisy.) To no one's surprise, the combination of the literary classic, the world famous author, the new adaptation and the solid, respectful reviews from the Guthrie-and nostalgia for the Roaring '20s--have made the Rep's Great Gatsby an out-and-out audience pleaser and a hot ticket. Several groups have hosted Great Gatsby theater parties at the Rep-when Bits&Bytes caught in its first full week, U.S. Bank had 80 employees in flapper dresses and straw hats gather for a private, costumed cocktail party at one end of the Rep's spacious lobby. Charleston music filled the lobby, wine and nibbles got the group ready for the play. At a local restaurant later in the play's run, a costumed group of four had simply dressed up in flapper style to celebrate the evening. While advance sales have been terrific, last minute "rush" tickets, a boon for budget-minded theater fans, have usually been available. Check with the Rep's box office for full details-443-2222 or toll free at (877) 900-9285 for out-of-area theater fans. The production continues through Dec. 10. MEMORY HOUSE CHARMS IN NORTHWEST PREMIERE AT SEATTLE REPERTORY Kathleen Tolan's Memory House makes a welcome return to the Emerald City where it first was staged/read as part of the Hedgebrook Women Playwrights' Festival at the Rep in 2003. It has had several full production since then, including an off-Broadway stay, and returns to the Rep in a charming production. A slight work about mother/daughter relationships, the play zips by in 72 minutes. The frazzled mother of an adopted Russian-born daughter makes a real blueberry pie on stage while the two discuss their pasts and the college-bound daughter refuses to write her college application essay section-the "Memory House" section that gives the play its title. The play runs just a little longer than it takes to make and bake the symbolic blueberry pie. Jeanne Paulsen, one of Seattle's strongest actresses, returns from her year at the Denver Center Theatre, to bring Maggie, the frazzled, divorced mother, to life. She is heartbreakingly real. Sharia Pierce, who has played at most of Seattle major theaters since moving here in 2002 after college, is obnoxiously real as the foulmouthed daughter. Allison Narver, artistic director of The Empty Space Theatre until its abrupt shuttering last month, directs with a solid honesty. (David Esbjornson, the Rep's artistic director, guided the New York production at Playwrights Horizons.) The production continues through Dec. 17. The play will work best for a specialized audience-the female friend this scribe attended with felt it was one of the most moving productions she had ever seen. "Rush" and student/senior discounts should be readily available. Box office details at 443-2222. WHITE CHRISTMAS OPENS FOR HOILDAY FUN AT 5TH, SNOW SCENE FINALE DELIGHTS Irving Berlin's White Christmas, the new musical at the 5th Avenue Musical Theatre, opened officially last night but friends have been calling all week to rave about the "fun show" that they saw in early previews. Adapted from the 1950's Paramount musical with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney (which was then a revisit to Berlin's 1940's Holiday Inn), the "new" stage musical is a slight delight from start to finish. (Look for a full review in next week's SGN.) Bits&Bytes first saw the show in its San Francisco debut and found the show thoroughly entertaining as a seasonal stage offering. The creators and producers of the new stage version have no illusion that the new stage adaptation is worth a New York visit in a regular year-round format.. Instead, they opened the show only in San Francisco to prove its stage worthiness for holiday audiences. The show was a smash hit. This year, three regional musical theaters get to mount the show for their own local audiences. (The 5th Avenue's full Seattle staging moves to Denver after Christmas for an extended holiday stay.) Next year, up to 10 regional theaters may get rights to the show. It would take longer for the various productions to pay off the original costs to the producers and their financial backers, but a show that could run for 25 or 50 years is nothing to sneeze at. (Can a similar approach to Easter Parade be far off?) While White Christmas is one joy after another, the audience truly goes wild at the curtain call. As the cast appears in holiday red velvet and white trimming to sing "White Christmas," snow falls on them from over the stage. When the delighted crowd is asked to sing-along with "White Christmas," snow falls on the audience. (If Peter Pan can fly overhead, why can't it snow from overhead?) The San Francisco audience went wild as it snowed and tried time and time again to catch a snowflake. (Seattle friends report the same reaction here at preview performances.) White Christmas continues through Dec. 20 at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Ticket information at (888) 584-4849, a new ticket number this year. RAISENETS & HOT COFFEE WELCOME SEATTLE FILM FEST TO SEATTLE CENTER HOME On one of the coldest mornings of the week, the Seattle Center, the Office Of The Mayor and the Seattle International Film Festival hosted a fun press conference at the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall, a charming mid-sized theater that was created as part of the multimillion dollar McCaw Hall remodeling project several years ago. The space is in the middle of a remodel to make it the year-round screening facility for SIFF use. Built for use primarily by the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet, which will continue to use the space for lectures and previews and other special events, the new film venue will host special screenings selected by SIFF. "Many SIFF films do not get picked up for U.S. distribution and never return to Seattle," a SIFF executive explained. "This new space will allow SIFF to program festival highlights for return engagements throughout the year." The space will also host preview screenings which SIFF now books at commercial theaters. For the 9 a.m. press conference-and, yes, the media faithful braved the cold and the ice and snow-pots of hot coffee and tea were especially popular. To make it a real "movie event," SIFF offered free packages of Red Vine licorice or boxes of Raisinets, a very clever idea. The cost of the remodel-mainly adding 35 mm film projectors for archival screenings, a digital projection system for state-of-the-art screenings and a full-sized screen-totals $350,000. The city offered a $150,000 matching grant which-happy news-SIFF met and exceeded, raising $200,000 in record time. The new theater is expected to complete its remodeling in January and the SIFF screenings should start thereafter. Watch SGN for full details. SIFF HOSTS 2006 AUCTION DEC. 2 AT CENTRAL CINEMA In other news from the Seattle International Film Festival, the 2006 Poster Auction and Holiday Movie is set for Dec. 2-that's tomorrow, Saturday, folks-at the intimate Central Cinema, 1411 21st Avenue at Union. The event-poster auction, holiday party and a screening of Edward Scissorhands-has a modest admission charge: $12 for the general public and only $10 for Cinema Seattle members. Details at 464-5830. WICKED XMAS OPENS AT CABARET DE PARIS Cabaret de Paris opened its annual holiday show, The Wicked Xmas-Dorothy Doesn't Live Here Anymore, last night. It's a new comedy/cabaret holiday revue written and directed by Bob Dedea. The show-with obvious appeal to "Friends Of Dorothy" and the whole GLBT community-runs every night (every night!) through Dec. 26. Plan ahead-the Crepe's holiday shows often sell out weeks ahead of time for key weekend dates. Office parties abound. Do plan ahead. (Watch Bits&Bytes next week for full details.) Reservations and details at 623-4111. |
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