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| ACT scores with Coward's A Marvelous Party, SAM opens Impressionists, Chamber Music Festival prepares for summer | |
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by Milton W. Hamlin -
SGN A&E Writer It's summer in the city - at last - and the Emerald City arts scene is full of exciting new shows with more opening over and after the July 4 holiday. Pride Week events dominate the entertainment calendar - Seattle Men's Chorus concerts tonight and tomorrow, various cabarets (Arnaldo! was, as usual, a delight last night in a special Pride Cabaret at Julia's) and drag shows celebrate Pride in all dimensions. The charming new A Marvelous Party at ACT bridges the Pride and summer season with its illuminating, entertaining look at Noel Coward, the celebrated Gay writer who lived most of his life in a very public closet. The zany Zanna Don't! is also a natural for Pride weekend. It tells of a magical place where it is normal to be Gay or Lesbian and "twisted" to be straight. Should be a hoot. Seattle Art Museum's mini-blockbuster, Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists And The Art Of The Past, delighted opening week crowds and looks like a smash hit for all summer. Taproot readies its traditional summer music - always a delight - with this year's Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, opening July 9, the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society readies the welcome return of G&S's immortal The Mikado, opening July 10, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival opens right after July 4 with two full months of music festivals. What an exciting time - Bits&Bytes can hardly stand the excitement. NEW A MARVELOUS PARTY DELIGHTS AT ACT THEATRE, CLOSETED COWARD CHARMS Noel Coward lived in England in an era where it was illegal to be homosexual - the shame of Oscar Wilde and his legendary three trials and subsequent prison sentence at hard labor were the talk of the town in the GLBT community during Coward's schoolboy years. In reality, he never "came out" - or not very far out - but he was one of the best-known Gay writers of his era. He was passed over for a well-deserved knighthood until late in his life (and when homosexuality was no longer a crime in Britain) because he let it be known that, "of course," his lover of many decades would be present as his guest at Buckingham Palace. While the Queen Mum privately adored Coward, it was an unthinkable situation for Court society. ACT Theatre "proudly presents" A Marvelous Party: The Noel Coward Celebration with performances continuing through July 13. The show was an audience-pleaser at its opening last week, and single ticket sales "were amazing" over the weekend and into the show's first week. While the show is far too long, the overall evening is a total delight. The songs work best, and the dance sequences add a charming expansion of the joy of the production. Seattle's David Silverman turns into a top-notch song and dance man with Party, and he is a complete delight in every appearance. (Who knew the talented actor/writer/director was also an incredible dancer?) The show, which has been around for nearly a decade, gets an expanded cast for the Emerald City ACT staging - the two characters who created the show and performed in it at various regional theaters share the stage with two additional performers. For the most part, it all works well. And it is, after all, A Marvelous Party. Highlights: (1) "Don't Put Your Daughter On The Stage, Mrs. Worthington" is now a charming trio of voices. (2) The rarely heard "What Ho! Mrs. Brisket" with Silverman in a two-piece striped 1920s swimsuit. (3) A lascivious "Would You Like To Stick A Pin In My Balloon" sung by a charmingly innocent Anna Lauris with a wink in her eye and her tongue firmly planted in her cheek. (4) Silverman and Mark Anders as two sailors in "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?" The two lads are looking for their ship, variously titled "The HMS Disgusting" and "The HMS Suggestive." (5) Anders scores again with perfect diction - an unquestioned requirement for Coward's clever lyrics - with "Mad Dogs And Englishman Go Out In the Mid-Day Sun." (6) "A Bar On The Piccola Marina," where we hear the saga of Mrs. Wentworth Brewster and "the three sailors who goosed her." What a rime, what a song. And those are only some of the highlights of Act One. Act Two continues with "Mad About The Boy," which Coward sang endlessly in an "I might be a little bit gay" wink to his 1950s Las Vegas audiences late in his career. Here, Anna Lauris sings it - forgive the phrase - "straight." The revue's title song, "I've Been To A Marvelous Party," continues a number of references to "Gay old time" and "Queer old thing" and a specific reference to the male singer "who danced a tango with The Grand Duke." Lots of GLBT teasing in Coward and a lot of it, too, at ACT. Quiet songs - the lovely "I'll See You Again," the charming "The Party's Over Now," the haunting "I'll Follow My Secret Love" - were the show's real highlights for this scribe. Snippets of narration from Coward's diaries and letters, are often incorporated. Most slow the overly long show down a trifle, but the closing one is a delight, especially for GLBT theatre and Coward fans: "It's not that I'm a homosexual all the time - I just like to give them a helping hand now and then," the closeted Coward commented. ACT's Party - and it is truly marvelous! most of the time - continues through July 13. Ticket information and reservations at (206) 292-7676. Ask about various student, senior, "rush" discounts. And ask about special events, like tonight's OUT AT ACT social for GLBT theater fans. Have fun! CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL RUNS JULY 7-AUGUST 15 IN TWO SUMMER LOCATIONS The Seattle Chamber Music Festival is busy readying its two July and August festivals. The traditional fest, at Lakeside School in North Seattle, runs July 7-August 1. The second, an all-new program, an extension of the popular Lakeside event, runs August 6-15 at the Overlake School in Redmond. It's one of the few times in the year when the music center of Seattle shifts out of the downtown/Seattle Center corridor. As is traditional, each evening begins with a free short recital that usually spotlights one or two performers on that evening's major concert and/or illuminates the music that is scheduled for later that night. The 7 p.m. recitals are free with a ticket purchase of the full concert that evening. The 8 p.m. concerts, traditionally, mix well-known works - staples of chamber music literature - with lesser-known works or composers. The balance - a unique factor in SCMF offerings - is usually sublime. Concerts are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights - best seating, of course, is for the Monday or Wednesday offerings. The July 14 concert, for example, features Robert Schumann in the free 7 p.m. recital with a violinist and pianist from that evening featured. The 8 p.m. program includes works by Mozart, Ravel and Ernest Chausson. The July 7 opening night concert - a high-profile, high-society evening - starts with a rare work by Aaron Jay Kernis for the free recital. Ravel, Brahms and Anton Arensky are featured at the 8 p.m. offering. Special family events and an Emerging Artist Concert are also offered. Complete details at (206) 283-8808. Many of the key weekend concerts sell out far in advance of the event - procrastinators take note and plan ahead. Ask for a free season brochure and select your special composers, artist or instrument. Or, take this scribe's advice, and pick at night or two, confirm the program "works" for you, and enjoy. INSPIRING IMPRESSIONISM OPENS FOR SUMMER RUN AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM The new Impressionists show at the downtown Seattle Art Museum, Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists and the Art of the Past openly describes itself as "Basic Art 101 - Comparison & Contrast." The would-be blockbuster - the magic word "Impressionists" is enough to turn any show into a major event in modern America - continues through September 21 in the handsome, newly remodeled SAM complex in downtown Seattle. Major works by major artists dominate the show, which indeed is structured around a comparison and contrast approach. The artists include major Impressionists like Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Renoir, Degas with their work mounted in close proximity to Old Masters - Frans Hals, Goya, Fragonard, Watteua, Francois Boucher, Claude Lorrain. Paired by subject matter - still life paintings from two eras, a woman bathing from two epochs - the show is a constant delight. And educational - but not in an awkward, off-putting manner. "Inspiring Impressionism offers audiences a fresh viewpoint on the Impressionist painters," Mimi Gates, SAM's ever-present director, noted. "It reveals exciting new scholarship about origins of this important period in art history." The show was organized by the highly respected Denver Art Museum. It was seen earlier in Denver and will travel to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta for an October-January visit after it leaves the Emerald City. For the Seattle stay, two works have been added to the original show. Monet's Nympheas (Water Lilies) and Renoir's La Liseuse are both highlights of the Emerald City show. Dozens and dozens of special events - typical of SAM - are offered in conjunction with the show. Complete details about the show and the special activities are available at SAM, (206) 654-3121. Ask about free admission days, free senior and student policies, discounts for the special show, community related activities, the special French Film Series, etc. Budget-minded art lovers should remember that SAM's suggested admission price is just that - suggested. Admission to the Impressionists show is an additional set fee, with discounts at special times for special groups - seniors, etc. Ask! ACT scores with Coward's A Marvelous Party, SAM opens Impressionists, Chamber Music Festival prepares for summer by Milton W. Hamlin - SGN A&E Writer It's summer in the city - at last - and the Emerald City arts scene is full of exciting new shows with more opening over and after the July 4 holiday. Pride Week events dominate the entertainment calendar - Seattle Men's Chorus concerts tonight and tomorrow, various cabarets (Arnaldo! was, as usual, a delight last night in a special Pride Cabaret at Julia's) and drag shows celebrate Pride in all dimensions. The charming new A Marvelous Party at ACT bridges the Pride and summer season with its illuminating, entertaining look at Noel Coward, the celebrated Gay writer who lived most of his life in a very public closet. The zany Zanna Don't! is also a natural for Pride weekend. It tells of a magical place where it is normal to be Gay or Lesbian and "twisted" to be straight. Should be a hoot. Seattle Art Museum's mini-blockbuster, Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists And The Art Of The Past, delighted opening week crowds and looks like a smash hit for all summer. Taproot readies its traditional summer music - always a delight - with this year's Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, opening July 9, the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society readies the welcome return of G&S's immortal The Mikado, opening July 10, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival opens right after July 4 with two full months of music festivals. What an exciting time - Bits&Bytes can hardly stand the excitement. NEW A MARVELOUS PARTY DELIGHTS AT ACT THEATRE, CLOSETED COWARD CHARMS Noel Coward lived in England in an era where it was illegal to be homosexual - the shame of Oscar Wilde and his legendary three trials and subsequent prison sentence at hard labor were the talk of the town in the GLBT community during Coward's schoolboy years. In reality, he never "came out" - or not very far out - but he was one of the best-known Gay writers of his era. He was passed over for a well-deserved knighthood until late in his life (and when homosexuality was no longer a crime in Britain) because he let it be known that, "of course," his lover of many decades would be present as his guest at Buckingham Palace. While the Queen Mum privately adored Coward, it was an unthinkable situation for Court society. ACT Theatre "proudly presents" A Marvelous Party: The Noel Coward Celebration with performances continuing through July 13. The show was an audience-pleaser at its opening last week, and single ticket sales "were amazing" over the weekend and into the show's first week. While the show is far too long, the overall evening is a total delight. The songs work best, and the dance sequences add a charming expansion of the joy of the production. Seattle's David Silverman turns into a top-notch song and dance man with Party, and he is a complete delight in every appearance. (Who knew the talented actor/writer/director was also an incredible dancer?) The show, which has been around for nearly a decade, gets an expanded cast for the Emerald City ACT staging - the two characters who created the show and performed in it at various regional theaters share the stage with two additional performers. For the most part, it all works well. And it is, after all, A Marvelous Party. Highlights: (1) "Don't Put Your Daughter On The Stage, Mrs. Worthington" is now a charming trio of voices. (2) The rarely heard "What Ho! Mrs. Brisket" with Silverman in a two-piece striped 1920s swimsuit. (3) A lascivious "Would You Like To Stick A Pin In My Balloon" sung by a charmingly innocent Anna Lauris with a wink in her eye and her tongue firmly planted in her cheek. (4) Silverman and Mark Anders as two sailors in "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?" The two lads are looking for their ship, variously titled "The HMS Disgusting" and "The HMS Suggestive." (5) Anders scores again with perfect diction - an unquestioned requirement for Coward's clever lyrics - with "Mad Dogs And Englishman Go Out In the Mid-Day Sun." (6) "A Bar On The Piccola Marina," where we hear the saga of Mrs. Wentworth Brewster and "the three sailors who goosed her." What a rime, what a song. And those are only some of the highlights of Act One. Act Two continues with "Mad About The Boy," which Coward sang endlessly in an "I might be a little bit gay" wink to his 1950s Las Vegas audiences late in his career. Here, Anna Lauris sings it - forgive the phrase - "straight." The revue's title song, "I've Been To A Marvelous Party," continues a number of references to "Gay old time" and "Queer old thing" and a specific reference to the male singer "who danced a tango with The Grand Duke." Lots of GLBT teasing in Coward and a lot of it, too, at ACT. Quiet songs - the lovely "I'll See You Again," the charming "The Party's Over Now," the haunting "I'll Follow My Secret Love" - were the show's real highlights for this scribe. Snippets of narration from Coward's diaries and letters, are often incorporated. Most slow the overly long show down a trifle, but the closing one is a delight, especially for GLBT theatre and Coward fans: "It's not that I'm a homosexual all the time - I just like to give them a helping hand now and then," the closeted Coward commented. ACT's Party - and it is truly marvelous! most of the time - continues through July 13. Ticket information and reservations at (206) 292-7676. Ask about various student, senior, "rush" discounts. And ask about special events, like tonight's OUT AT ACT social for GLBT theater fans. Have fun! CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL RUNS JULY 7-AUGUST 15 IN TWO SUMMER LOCATIONS The Seattle Chamber Music Festival is busy readying its two July and August festivals. The traditional fest, at Lakeside School in North Seattle, runs July 7-August 1. The second, an all-new program, an extension of the popular Lakeside event, runs August 6-15 at the Overlake School in Redmond. It's one of the few times in the year when the music center of Seattle shifts out of the downtown/Seattle Center corridor. As is traditional, each evening begins with a free short recital that usually spotlights one or two performers on that evening's major concert and/or illuminates the music that is scheduled for later that night. The 7 p.m. recitals are free with a ticket purchase of the full concert that evening. The 8 p.m. concerts, traditionally, mix well-known works - staples of chamber music literature - with lesser-known works or composers. The balance - a unique factor in SCMF offerings - is usually sublime. Concerts are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights - best seating, of course, is for the Monday or Wednesday offerings. The July 14 concert, for example, features Robert Schumann in the free 7 p.m. recital with a violinist and pianist from that evening featured. The 8 p.m. program includes works by Mozart, Ravel and Ernest Chausson. The July 7 opening night concert - a high-profile, high-society evening - starts with a rare work by Aaron Jay Kernis for the free recital. Ravel, Brahms and Anton Arensky are featured at the 8 p.m. offering. Special family events and an Emerging Artist Concert are also offered. Complete details at (206) 283-8808. Many of the key weekend concerts sell out far in advance of the event - procrastinators take note and plan ahead. Ask for a free season brochure and select your special composers, artist or instrument. Or, take this scribe's advice, and pick at night or two, confirm the program "works" for you, and enjoy. INSPIRING IMPRESSIONISM OPENS FOR SUMMER RUN AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM The new Impressionists show at the downtown Seattle Art Museum, Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists and the Art of the Past openly describes itself as "Basic Art 101 - Comparison & Contrast." The would-be blockbuster - the magic word "Impressionists" is enough to turn any show into a major event in modern America - continues through September 21 in the handsome, newly remodeled SAM complex in downtown Seattle. Major works by major artists dominate the show, which indeed is structured around a comparison and contrast approach. The artists include major Impressionists like Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Renoir, Degas with their work mounted in close proximity to Old Masters - Frans Hals, Goya, Fragonard, Watteua, Francois Boucher, Claude Lorrain. Paired by subject matter - still life paintings from two eras, a woman bathing from two epochs - the show is a constant delight. And educational - but not in an awkward, off-putting manner. "Inspiring Impressionism offers audiences a fresh viewpoint on the Impressionist painters," Mimi Gates, SAM's ever-present director, noted. "It reveals exciting new scholarship about origins of this important period in art history." The show was organized by the highly respected Denver Art Museum. It was seen earlier in Denver and will travel to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta for an October-January visit after it leaves the Emerald City. For the Seattle stay, two works have been added to the original show. Monet's Nympheas (Water Lilies) and Renoir's La Liseuse are both highlights of the Emerald City show. Dozens and dozens of special events - typical of SAM - are offered in conjunction with the show. Complete details about the show and the special activities are available at SAM, (206) 654-3121. Ask about free admission days, free senior and student policies, discounts for the special show, community related activities, the special French Film Series, etc. Budget-minded art lovers should remember that SAM's suggested admission price is just that - suggested. Admission to the Impressionists show is an additional set fee, with discounts at special times for special groups - seniors, etc. Ask! |
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