After I offered GuestMeister the opportunity to add a blogpost here, I was asked about my take on the show, from some of the people I saw it with. Here's my post:
I enjoyed it. Very energetic and I think it would appeal to a younger, "Hairspray"-type audience. As noted in my recent blogpost [see Soh Daiko], I thought Heathers was too loud. Especially the pre-show music (which was totally useless, in my opinion). Pre-show time should be spent perusing the Playbill and/or chit-chatting with your pals at the theater. That was nigh impossible.
Not knowing the source material, I found the color coding of the Heathers interesting. Re. lyrics, I found myself thinking that some of J.D.'s were a bit lame—I expected something a bit edgier.
I was also a bit surprised by the "11 o'clock" number—it was good, but I didn't feel enough building up of the secondary character to warrant it from that character. However, the execution was great. I have a feeling that the song was a winner from the very beginning and they felt they had to use it, no matter what.
There was a yin/yang of comedy/dark comedy that is almost-but-not-quite there. I wish them all the best of success, but I fear that Heathers will be a minor blip on the theater scene.
ConcertMeister
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Soh Daiko – 3/29/14
As part of the Carnegie Neighborhood Concert Series, I attended a World Music concert at a new venue for me—LPAC at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. The hall was very comfortable, seated 750 people, and was pretty much full even on a rainy Saturday afternoon. A bit of housekeeping, first. The concert started late, ushers seated patrons during the performances, and (even though the executive director took out his cell phone and instructed everyone to turn them off (not just to vibrate) and even though there were signs in the hall warning against photos and videos) I counted five cell phones and TABLETS being held up for taking photos. Plus a bright light behind me. Yes, it was an exciting performance. But we’re there for the performance, not for documenting the performance. That’s what ConcertMeister
is for.
Sorry, off my soapbox now.
Soh Daiko is a Japanese collective drumming ensemble. But oh so much more. As their minimal program notes included, there was also choreography, flute, bells, cymbals, etc. And there was energy. Energy in abundance!
The first piece (sorry, I had to take notes in the dark) had three large drums, supported on stands, played by five performers. Each of the large drums had a drumhead at each end, so two drummers could play each drum, as necessary. As explained later, it was an example of traditional drumming. The second piece was more modern, composed in 1985, involved a few more drums and drummers, and represented an example of what might be experienced listening to Asian street drummers.
One of the major set pieces involved the telling of a folk tale about a country bumpkin and a lion. This was brilliant. The country bumpkin appeared with what looked like a hobo’s stick. Eventually, the bumpkin used the stick as a fishing pole. In true folk tale tradition, after miming fishing, a two-foot stuffed clown fish was tossed onto the stage to the delight of the audience. Oh, did I mention that there were lots of kids in the audience, some of whom had attended an origami workshop earlier? Well, the fish was the equivalent of the bumpkin finding Nemo. After supper, the bumpkin settled down for a snooze. Enter the lion. (As an aside, we were told from the stage that in this particular folk tale, if the lion bites you, that brings good luck. Yeah, right!) When the lion spotted the fish, it attacked. After dining on fish, the lion broke the fourth wall and spotted the audience. In a tour-de-force performance, the lion made a circular tour of the audience, biting certain patrons (and scaring a few children) before returning to the stage, spotting the bumpkin and being thwarted by the human, eventually. Mind you, there was only drumming, bells, and cymbals accompanying this wordless storytelling. Did I mention tour de force?
Throughout, rearranging drums and instruments from piece to piece was achieved smoothly and seamlessly by the twelve or so performers. Dressed in their red, white, and black tunics with black leggings and white shoes, the performers were not interchangeable, yet “of one” onstage.
The final set piece was Soh Daiko’s version of Festival Drumming, and had (I think) the entire cast involved. This piece, as some of the others did, had the drummers moving from drum to drum. But this one also had drummers moving in circular patterns around each other from drum to from while each drummer had beaters in each hand—not an easy task, though they made it look so.
Was it noisy? Yes and no. The shading of dynamics created by drums, cymbals, bells, and conch shells ranged from sepulchral to very loud—yet never as loud as the overmiked singers and instrumentalists of the recent “Heathers” performance I attended.
I was hesitant about attending a World Music concert. Would it be weird? Would it bother my more classical-music-oriented sensibilities? I’m glad I went. Maybe it will make me explore even more. There’s a wealth of opportunities out there, in all five boroughs—or in your neighborhood, if you’re not in NYC. Explore and enjoy.
ConcertMeister
is for.
Sorry, off my soapbox now.
Soh Daiko is a Japanese collective drumming ensemble. But oh so much more. As their minimal program notes included, there was also choreography, flute, bells, cymbals, etc. And there was energy. Energy in abundance!
The first piece (sorry, I had to take notes in the dark) had three large drums, supported on stands, played by five performers. Each of the large drums had a drumhead at each end, so two drummers could play each drum, as necessary. As explained later, it was an example of traditional drumming. The second piece was more modern, composed in 1985, involved a few more drums and drummers, and represented an example of what might be experienced listening to Asian street drummers.
One of the major set pieces involved the telling of a folk tale about a country bumpkin and a lion. This was brilliant. The country bumpkin appeared with what looked like a hobo’s stick. Eventually, the bumpkin used the stick as a fishing pole. In true folk tale tradition, after miming fishing, a two-foot stuffed clown fish was tossed onto the stage to the delight of the audience. Oh, did I mention that there were lots of kids in the audience, some of whom had attended an origami workshop earlier? Well, the fish was the equivalent of the bumpkin finding Nemo. After supper, the bumpkin settled down for a snooze. Enter the lion. (As an aside, we were told from the stage that in this particular folk tale, if the lion bites you, that brings good luck. Yeah, right!) When the lion spotted the fish, it attacked. After dining on fish, the lion broke the fourth wall and spotted the audience. In a tour-de-force performance, the lion made a circular tour of the audience, biting certain patrons (and scaring a few children) before returning to the stage, spotting the bumpkin and being thwarted by the human, eventually. Mind you, there was only drumming, bells, and cymbals accompanying this wordless storytelling. Did I mention tour de force?
Throughout, rearranging drums and instruments from piece to piece was achieved smoothly and seamlessly by the twelve or so performers. Dressed in their red, white, and black tunics with black leggings and white shoes, the performers were not interchangeable, yet “of one” onstage.
The final set piece was Soh Daiko’s version of Festival Drumming, and had (I think) the entire cast involved. This piece, as some of the others did, had the drummers moving from drum to drum. But this one also had drummers moving in circular patterns around each other from drum to from while each drummer had beaters in each hand—not an easy task, though they made it look so.
Was it noisy? Yes and no. The shading of dynamics created by drums, cymbals, bells, and conch shells ranged from sepulchral to very loud—yet never as loud as the overmiked singers and instrumentalists of the recent “Heathers” performance I attended.
I was hesitant about attending a World Music concert. Would it be weird? Would it bother my more classical-music-oriented sensibilities? I’m glad I went. Maybe it will make me explore even more. There’s a wealth of opportunities out there, in all five boroughs—or in your neighborhood, if you’re not in NYC. Explore and enjoy.
ConcertMeister
Thursday, March 27, 2014
A Full-Price (Gasp!) Splurge (3/21/14)
I am ConcertMeister, and I approve this blogpost.
Heathers: The Musical
I was both scared and excited by the mere prospect of this off-Broadway offering. The movie Heathers is a 1989 classic full of quotable lines and madcap, if dark, comedy played to perfection by co-stars Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. It’s a movie I owned on VHS, and to this day can’t ignore when it happens across my screen. The musical, though, is penned in part by Laurence O’Keefe of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” fame, which I pretty much detested because of its—IMHO—squandering of brilliant source material.
But based on great pre-NY buzz, I decided to give it a go. And I’m glad I did.
The story follows the movie’s pretty faithfully, including many of the classic quips either in dialogue or woven into lyrics ... with one line even becoming a full production number: “My Dead Gay Son”. (Very funny ... and with a plot twist that wasn’t in the film.) While the movie chronicles the blossoming love of honorary Heather, Veronica, and bad-boy J.D. (subtle, eh?) somewhat quietly, the musical has several lovely duets that showcase their relationship beautifully and give it additional strength. One deeply feels the struggle Veronica is going through as she and her boyfriend ‘accidentally’ knock off their classmates one by one. The singing and acting of Barrett Wilbert Weed (Veronica) and Ryan McCartan (J.D.) were top notch, though the standout vocal goes to Katie Ladner as best-friend Martha Dunnstock. All of the Heathers were great, with Alice Lee as Heather Duke stealing her scenes with vicious glee.
The score is decent, though will require repeat listening to be memorable. There might be some sing-along gems—“Dead Girl Walking” being the most likely contender for me. The flaws in the show stem from the smallness of the production. The movie is centered around the snotty rich girls, who each “own” a color of clothing—red, yellow, green, and Veronica's heroic blue. Yet the total lack of costume changes allowed that cunning device to live only in the minds of those who know the film. (Perhaps the expectation is that only those who know/love the movie will see the show?) There was also no set to speak of, which kept the whole thing feeling a little like a high school production. Lighting and sound design were fine.
The audience skewed younger than I expected, and they were boisterously into it, but without being annoying. Yay!
Overall: B+ leaning into A-.
GuestMeister
Full disclosure: GuestMeister is BabyBro—he was more knowledgable than I about the film-to-stage process.
Heathers: The Musical
I was both scared and excited by the mere prospect of this off-Broadway offering. The movie Heathers is a 1989 classic full of quotable lines and madcap, if dark, comedy played to perfection by co-stars Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. It’s a movie I owned on VHS, and to this day can’t ignore when it happens across my screen. The musical, though, is penned in part by Laurence O’Keefe of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” fame, which I pretty much detested because of its—IMHO—squandering of brilliant source material.
But based on great pre-NY buzz, I decided to give it a go. And I’m glad I did.
The story follows the movie’s pretty faithfully, including many of the classic quips either in dialogue or woven into lyrics ... with one line even becoming a full production number: “My Dead Gay Son”. (Very funny ... and with a plot twist that wasn’t in the film.) While the movie chronicles the blossoming love of honorary Heather, Veronica, and bad-boy J.D. (subtle, eh?) somewhat quietly, the musical has several lovely duets that showcase their relationship beautifully and give it additional strength. One deeply feels the struggle Veronica is going through as she and her boyfriend ‘accidentally’ knock off their classmates one by one. The singing and acting of Barrett Wilbert Weed (Veronica) and Ryan McCartan (J.D.) were top notch, though the standout vocal goes to Katie Ladner as best-friend Martha Dunnstock. All of the Heathers were great, with Alice Lee as Heather Duke stealing her scenes with vicious glee.
The score is decent, though will require repeat listening to be memorable. There might be some sing-along gems—“Dead Girl Walking” being the most likely contender for me. The flaws in the show stem from the smallness of the production. The movie is centered around the snotty rich girls, who each “own” a color of clothing—red, yellow, green, and Veronica's heroic blue. Yet the total lack of costume changes allowed that cunning device to live only in the minds of those who know the film. (Perhaps the expectation is that only those who know/love the movie will see the show?) There was also no set to speak of, which kept the whole thing feeling a little like a high school production. Lighting and sound design were fine.
The audience skewed younger than I expected, and they were boisterously into it, but without being annoying. Yay!
Overall: B+ leaning into A-.
GuestMeister
Full disclosure: GuestMeister is BabyBro—he was more knowledgable than I about the film-to-stage process.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Vienna: City of Dreams
Unfortunately, I’ve never been to Vienna. Fortunately, I attended three different concerts in Carnegie Hall’s broad-ranging, month-long “Vienna: City of Dreams” initiative. The first, for me, was at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York on Tuesday, March 11. Seda Röder, piano, Black and White Statements, The Austrian Sound of Piano Today. Ms. Röder played 12 contemporary Viennese piano pieces—some miniatures, some slightly longer. And some included “prepared piano,” where foreign objects are introduced into the strings of the piano itself, which is not my favorite concept. Especially when cotton batting material had to be added (and then removed) between pieces, pencils (chopsticks?) placed on top of strings (to produce a buzzy or tinny sound), and metal (plastic?) rulers (stiff implements?) introduced in order to make scratchy string sounds, etc. Well, I think you get my drift. For me, one of the most humorous was (and I’m paraphrasing here) Three Nihilistic Interludes—Für Elise is mashed up (via MP3) with live playing and comic interaction with machinery by the pianist. See? I have joined the 21st century!
Saturday’s vocal recital was the most tenuous Vienna connection. Nathaniel Olson (baritone) and Kevin Murphy (piano) were to present 13 lieder from Schubert’s Schwanengesang, and some Copland. Instead, we got six Schubert lieder, three Ravel chansons, and Set 1 of Copland’s Old American Songs. Hardly “Vienna: City of Dreams.” In general, I liked Mr. Olson’s lieder and chansons. His lower register seemed, at times, to be overpowered by the piano, and his upper register seemed, at times, to lose focus of the pitch. In the Old American Songs, I found his diction a little less than stellar. He did add his own “take” to some of the Copland songs, but they didn’t quite work for me.
Sunday took me to Brooklyn for the Hugo Wolf Quartet. Okay! A Vienna-based string quartet playing music of Haydn and Schubert. The four-movement Haydn “Joke” quartet (1781) was humorous throughout, but the last movement proved to be the coup de grâce—I really couldn’t tell … when the … movement … would … actually end. Who knows? Maybe like “Drood!” there are alternate endings for different performances? Schubert’s G Major quartet (1826) was a far cry from the Haydn—weightier darker, with movements that were much lengthier and more fully developed. The Scherzo. Allegro vivace—Trio. Allegretto almost got away from the players, but I’m not sure whether that was performance-related or composition-related.
I’m glad I was exposed to “Vienna: City of Dreams.” Maybe I’ll see the real McCoy some day.
ConcertMeister
Saturday’s vocal recital was the most tenuous Vienna connection. Nathaniel Olson (baritone) and Kevin Murphy (piano) were to present 13 lieder from Schubert’s Schwanengesang, and some Copland. Instead, we got six Schubert lieder, three Ravel chansons, and Set 1 of Copland’s Old American Songs. Hardly “Vienna: City of Dreams.” In general, I liked Mr. Olson’s lieder and chansons. His lower register seemed, at times, to be overpowered by the piano, and his upper register seemed, at times, to lose focus of the pitch. In the Old American Songs, I found his diction a little less than stellar. He did add his own “take” to some of the Copland songs, but they didn’t quite work for me.
Sunday took me to Brooklyn for the Hugo Wolf Quartet. Okay! A Vienna-based string quartet playing music of Haydn and Schubert. The four-movement Haydn “Joke” quartet (1781) was humorous throughout, but the last movement proved to be the coup de grâce—I really couldn’t tell … when the … movement … would … actually end. Who knows? Maybe like “Drood!” there are alternate endings for different performances? Schubert’s G Major quartet (1826) was a far cry from the Haydn—weightier darker, with movements that were much lengthier and more fully developed. The Scherzo. Allegro vivace—Trio. Allegretto almost got away from the players, but I’m not sure whether that was performance-related or composition-related.
I’m glad I was exposed to “Vienna: City of Dreams.” Maybe I’ll see the real McCoy some day.
ConcertMeister
Monday, March 10, 2014
Whetted Appetites? (3/10/14)
So, I saw more silent films on Saturday, March 8, but I also wanted to highlight the preservation of glass slides, which were the “Coming Attractions” of the silent film era. Silent Cinema Presentations, Inc. has a collection of these that they have transferred to film—and some of them are shown as the audience files in and prepares to see the films on offer that day. Some of the slides are, indeed, information about movies of the era that were going to be shown in a particular theater at a particular time. Others, though, are advertisements and, sometimes, admonishments. A few of my favorites are listed below.
From an accompanist’s viewpoint:
“I Humbly Apologize
if my music has seemed careless and not up to standard”; and
“I mean it when I say
It is with pleasure that I play”
Then there are ads for Butterick Style 6804 (dress pattern); Budde’s Grocery, Phone 64; Fairchance Bottling Works; Simon’s Motor Co., Tonasket Washington; Ghilson & Saunders Jewelers; Star Brand Shoes (do an image search on their antique signs sometime); and Bush & Lane Piano Co.(a company that’s still going strong!).
But I think I like the admonishments best:
“Ladies and Gentlemen
Please remove your hats”;
“No Smoking or Spitting Allowed ~ Board of Health”;
“No Dogs allowed in This Theatre”;
“Anyone raising a disturbance
at this theatre will be BOUNCED!”; and (my all-time favorite)
“Please don’t spit on the floor,
Remember the Johnstown flood”
Entertainment before the entertainment, along with previously mentioned slides promoting the newest, most up-to-date movies on their way.
ConcertMeister
From an accompanist’s viewpoint:
“I Humbly Apologize
if my music has seemed careless and not up to standard”; and
“I mean it when I say
It is with pleasure that I play”
Then there are ads for Butterick Style 6804 (dress pattern); Budde’s Grocery, Phone 64; Fairchance Bottling Works; Simon’s Motor Co., Tonasket Washington; Ghilson & Saunders Jewelers; Star Brand Shoes (do an image search on their antique signs sometime); and Bush & Lane Piano Co.(a company that’s still going strong!).
But I think I like the admonishments best:
“Ladies and Gentlemen
Please remove your hats”;
“No Smoking or Spitting Allowed ~ Board of Health”;
“No Dogs allowed in This Theatre”;
“Anyone raising a disturbance
at this theatre will be BOUNCED!”; and (my all-time favorite)
“Please don’t spit on the floor,
Remember the Johnstown flood”
Entertainment before the entertainment, along with previously mentioned slides promoting the newest, most up-to-date movies on their way.
ConcertMeister
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Celebrate Chaplin—1914 (3/1/14)
Silent Cinema Presentations, Inc. has titled this series Celebrating Charlie Chaplin’s 125th Birth Anniversary, with a subtitle of 100th Anniversary in motion pictures. Saturday’s offerings were Gentlemen of Nerve and Tillie’s Punctured Romance, both from 1914 at Keystone Studios.
Gentlemen of Nerve, a two-reeler, is short on plot but long on slapstick and gags that come fast and furious. Mabel (Mabel Normand) and her beau (Chester Conklin) enter the grounds of a motorcar race. Chaplin, in one of the earliest "Little Tramp" character appearances, is without money and has to sneak in via a missing plank in a fence. A friend of his (Mack Swain) attempts the same but gets stuck. Chaplin does his darnedest to get the larger man through, and then scoots through himself, leaving the other fellow stuck. After finally getting him through, with the help of a handy-dandy seltzer bottle (dousing a cop in the process), all seems fine. Mabel ends up dumping her beau for Charlie, and after a series of flirtations and fisticuffs, the beau and Charlie’s pal get hauled away by the cop. Some of the automobile scenes were offbeat and funny. Interestingly, at the start of the race, each contestant had to completely change a tire before the actual driving part of the race. And there was one wind turbine–powered car that allowed for some funny bits by Chaplin and
Ms. Normand.
The main attraction was Tillie’s Punctured Romance, starring Marie Dressler,
Mr. Chaplin, Ms. Normand, Mr. Conklin, Mr. Swain and a host of others. I particularly enjoyed the opening, where Ms. Dressler stepped through a curtain dressed rather elegantly and then cinematically morphed into her character of Tillie (much more frumpy). Ms. Dressler was a big stage star, and producer Mack Sennett wanted to make the most of her appearance in the film. In fact, the project was stretched from a four-reeler into a feature-length six-reeler. Tillie is a country girl who Chaplin espies after a fight with his girlfriend, Mabel (Ms. Normand). He sees that Tillie’s father has a large bankroll to use for paying his farm workers, and he convinces her to elope with him, bringing the bankroll with her. All of this is accompanied, of course, by slapstick kicks, hits, and pratfalls. Tillie and Charlie end up in a restaurant, where Charlie sees Mabel again. Charlie gets Tillie tipsy, and gets her to let him hold her purse. Then he and Mabel abscond with her cash.
After Charlie and Mabel see a morality play movie about thievery, they are sitting on a park bench, having seen the error of their ways (sort of). A newsboy stops by, Charlie sees that Tillie’s rich uncle has died in a mountain climbing accident, and also sees that Tillie, as sole heir, has inherited three million dollars. Well he’s off to the races! back to the restaurant, where Tillie has had to take on work as a waitress (mayhem and slapstick ensue); he convinces Tillie that he really loves her, and they get married. They then throw a huge party in the uncle’s mansion that ends rather badly—why, yes, gunfire is involved—when Tillie discovers that Mabel has snuck in and is pretending to be a maid at the party. And is still being wooed by Charlie.
Whew! Then, it’s discovered that Uncle Moneybags did not die, and he insists that Tillie be arrested. Tillie, Charlie, and Mabel run from the cops (er, Kops, of the Keystone variety), until they end up at the end of a pier with nowhere to go. Tillie gets hit by a car and falls into the drink. She is eventually retrieved back onto the pier (after, of course, more mayhem, slapstick, and Keystone Kop-ery). Tillie and Mabel decide that they’re both too good for Charlie, and he leaves, with nothing to show for his troubles.
In a cinematic curtain call, Ms. Dressler enters through that curtain again, is joined by Chaplin, and then by Ms. Normand. After they’ve all bowed together, Ms. Dressler motions to both of them again but, cinematically, they’ve disappeared, and she’s left for her solo bows.
As usual, Ben Model had the herculean task of providing live piano accompaniment to both films and, as usual, he was more than up to the task. Bruce Lawton gave very informative opening remarks for the afternoon, and Steve Massa’s program notes were very much appreciated. A nice touch on Saturday were actual Chaplin artifacts—a cane, derby, and pair of shoes that had belonged to Chaplin. Though I didn’t stick around, Mr. Lawton invited audience to come up for pictures with the hat and the cane, but not the shoes (at least, not wearing them). As this is a series, I’ll save some of my observations re. glass projection slides for another time. Does that whet your appetite?
ConcertMeister
Gentlemen of Nerve, a two-reeler, is short on plot but long on slapstick and gags that come fast and furious. Mabel (Mabel Normand) and her beau (Chester Conklin) enter the grounds of a motorcar race. Chaplin, in one of the earliest "Little Tramp" character appearances, is without money and has to sneak in via a missing plank in a fence. A friend of his (Mack Swain) attempts the same but gets stuck. Chaplin does his darnedest to get the larger man through, and then scoots through himself, leaving the other fellow stuck. After finally getting him through, with the help of a handy-dandy seltzer bottle (dousing a cop in the process), all seems fine. Mabel ends up dumping her beau for Charlie, and after a series of flirtations and fisticuffs, the beau and Charlie’s pal get hauled away by the cop. Some of the automobile scenes were offbeat and funny. Interestingly, at the start of the race, each contestant had to completely change a tire before the actual driving part of the race. And there was one wind turbine–powered car that allowed for some funny bits by Chaplin and
Ms. Normand.
The main attraction was Tillie’s Punctured Romance, starring Marie Dressler,
Mr. Chaplin, Ms. Normand, Mr. Conklin, Mr. Swain and a host of others. I particularly enjoyed the opening, where Ms. Dressler stepped through a curtain dressed rather elegantly and then cinematically morphed into her character of Tillie (much more frumpy). Ms. Dressler was a big stage star, and producer Mack Sennett wanted to make the most of her appearance in the film. In fact, the project was stretched from a four-reeler into a feature-length six-reeler. Tillie is a country girl who Chaplin espies after a fight with his girlfriend, Mabel (Ms. Normand). He sees that Tillie’s father has a large bankroll to use for paying his farm workers, and he convinces her to elope with him, bringing the bankroll with her. All of this is accompanied, of course, by slapstick kicks, hits, and pratfalls. Tillie and Charlie end up in a restaurant, where Charlie sees Mabel again. Charlie gets Tillie tipsy, and gets her to let him hold her purse. Then he and Mabel abscond with her cash.
After Charlie and Mabel see a morality play movie about thievery, they are sitting on a park bench, having seen the error of their ways (sort of). A newsboy stops by, Charlie sees that Tillie’s rich uncle has died in a mountain climbing accident, and also sees that Tillie, as sole heir, has inherited three million dollars. Well he’s off to the races! back to the restaurant, where Tillie has had to take on work as a waitress (mayhem and slapstick ensue); he convinces Tillie that he really loves her, and they get married. They then throw a huge party in the uncle’s mansion that ends rather badly—why, yes, gunfire is involved—when Tillie discovers that Mabel has snuck in and is pretending to be a maid at the party. And is still being wooed by Charlie.
Whew! Then, it’s discovered that Uncle Moneybags did not die, and he insists that Tillie be arrested. Tillie, Charlie, and Mabel run from the cops (er, Kops, of the Keystone variety), until they end up at the end of a pier with nowhere to go. Tillie gets hit by a car and falls into the drink. She is eventually retrieved back onto the pier (after, of course, more mayhem, slapstick, and Keystone Kop-ery). Tillie and Mabel decide that they’re both too good for Charlie, and he leaves, with nothing to show for his troubles.
In a cinematic curtain call, Ms. Dressler enters through that curtain again, is joined by Chaplin, and then by Ms. Normand. After they’ve all bowed together, Ms. Dressler motions to both of them again but, cinematically, they’ve disappeared, and she’s left for her solo bows.
As usual, Ben Model had the herculean task of providing live piano accompaniment to both films and, as usual, he was more than up to the task. Bruce Lawton gave very informative opening remarks for the afternoon, and Steve Massa’s program notes were very much appreciated. A nice touch on Saturday were actual Chaplin artifacts—a cane, derby, and pair of shoes that had belonged to Chaplin. Though I didn’t stick around, Mr. Lawton invited audience to come up for pictures with the hat and the cane, but not the shoes (at least, not wearing them). As this is a series, I’ll save some of my observations re. glass projection slides for another time. Does that whet your appetite?
ConcertMeister
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)