Romeo and Juliet live and die at Balagan

Romeo and Juliet live and die at Balagan

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Balagan Theatre Through March 22 It's not often that you can experience both some really excellent acting and some really not-so-good acting in one show. Usually, it's mostly good or mostly fair or sometimes, really pretty good with maybe one guy you just wish was not there. This production of Romeo and Juliet by Balagan Theatre is wildly erratic. Some excellent performances are to be had. Rebecca Davis is excellent as Nurse and combines both the lowbrow Shakespearean humor and the "common man" demeanor into high comedy. Juliet is played by Allison Strickland, who has a real ability to translate large chunks of often staid Shakespearean language into real "girl speak" and is adorable. Solid and engaging performances include Mark Carr as Tybalt and Ryan Higgins as Mercutio and a strange but reasonable turn as a drunken Daddy Capulet by Curtis Eastwood. Banton Foster as Romeo is somewhere in the middle, sometimes finding his emotional center and sometimes losing himself in moroseness and mumbling. Directors Lisa Confehr and Kaitie Warren make a strong attempt to connect with the fun parts, with rousing ensemble merriness (the band of Montagues clowning around) and energetic fight scenes. The costuming by Marta Olson keeps it simple and modern with jeans and platform sandals. The set is very spare, suitable for a kind of "black box" space, and is more a matter of platform heights than any suggestion of "place." I have to assume that I don't need to describe the plot. Balagan, while newer to Seattle's Milky Way of theaters, has already established itself with several well-received shows. This is the first show in their new season and in their newly renovated theater. They seem to have some great ideas about what they want to accomplish, and I look forward to the rest of their season. So, I encourage you and discourage you at the same time. There are some bright lights in this R&J sky, and a few stars that you'd like to wink out. Your discretion will be your guide on this one. For more information, go to www.balagantheatre.org or www.brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com.

Unusual 'modern' music at Benaroya

by Rod Parke - SGN A&E Writer CONCERT OF 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY MUSIC WITH SOPRANO DAWN UPSHAW FEBRUARY 29 BENAROYA HALL This concert was like a trip to Sam Goody's $2.99 per LP sale, when in my student days in NYC I would buy some "modern" music (Subotnick, Varèse, Harry Partch, etc.) just to get to know a new musical language. The musical "languages" of two of the three works on this program communicated to me very well. They were by George Crumb and Osvaldo Golijov (a student of Crumb). But Stephen Hartke's "Meanwhile" did little more than create some sometimes-interesting timbres. To do this, he employed an "extensively prepared" piano, a child's stocking filled with BBs, slit drums, muted cowbells, and bongos. Hartke was also a student of Crumb. Rather than engaging my ears, it all came off as a multi-miked mess. (When you've got more mikes on the stage than performers, you're apt to be in trouble!) There appeared to be no emotional content, nor any direction in which the music might be going. The thought of multiple hearings to discern, perhaps, some internal logic was not appealing! I quote from the printed program notes: "The entire 15-minute composition vibrates and pulsates in a kaleidoscopic sequence of coruscating sonorities that reflect [Hartke's] memories of [watching a video of] Asian puppet theater and music." I got no more out of the music than I do from that sentence! Much more appealing was "Vox Balaenae ('Voice of the Whale') for amplified flute, cello and piano" by George Crumb. Suddenly we were gently flooded with carefully crafted sounds (i.e., good orchestration) that carried emotion and seemed to be going somewhere. The flautist played and simultaneously sang into his flute, creating eerie sounds that indeed resembled recordings of the "songs" of whales. Other unusual timbres came from the cello playing entirely in harmonics and from strummed piano strings. (I hope the beautiful Steinway was not damaged by all this evening's manipulations!) In this piece the use of amplification in no way hindered the music. Somewhat atonal sections were followed by beautiful melodies in B major! An altogether engaging experience. The headline event of the evening was "Ayre" by Osvaldo Golijov, sung by soprano Dawn Upshaw. While incorporating many modernisms, unusual use of instruments (including a laptop computer), and shockingly abrasive texts, "Ayre" (pronounced EYE-ree) is basically tonal and not at all difficult for listeners unaccustomed to modern music. In fact, it is ravishingly beautiful in parts. It is also moving and joyful. The twelve musicians playing both ordinary and unusual instruments were all having a good time and made the most of this excellent score. Beforehand, I spoke with the sound engineer at the back of the auditorium. Last time Dawn Upshaw appeared here, she was miked so incompetently that what we heard was not her voice so much as her nose! I have heard her live at the Met and was outraged that her beautiful voice was so bastardized for that Seattle audience. This time the engineer assured me that he was using an excellent mike. Turns out he was right. The mike she wore on her head did not distort her sound at all. In fact, the sound for this piece was excellent. Dawn Upshaw is, first and foremost, an opera singer. But unlike most opera singers who step outside that medium, she is totally at home in other forms of music. "Ayre" is not operatic; it is folksy, jazzy, and full of popular musical idioms. Ms. Upshaw was informally dressed and virtually danced around her part of the stage when the music was rhythmic. She never seemed awkward expressing the intense emotions of her texts. She is still at her prime vocally and sounded glorious throughout. Composed of eleven contrasting songs, "Ayre" is never dull. In the tenth song, we heard four voices - all belonging to Upshaw, thanks to the laptop and some sophisticated equipment. The gimmick was more than a gimmick; it made an interesting and effective counterpoint echo to the "live" voice we saw her using. This work is available on CD and is clearly loved by many who came to hear it live. Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rod@sgn.org.