New twenty-minute musicals
Honoring Harold Prince
Here’s the premise. All of the writers took part in a summer internship at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. They were randomly put together, I think by choosing one another, but that was not clearly stated; I may be remembering that from a previous iteration. Hence, across a crowded room.
OK, I saw eight twenty-minute musicals over a span of six hours (including a break for lunch). Each musical had a composer, lyricist, and librettist (sometimes overlapping), so you’re not getting lots of names. Casts ranged from two to eight (with doubling, of course), so you’re not getting a lot of names. I will name all eight musicals (search if you want to). And each musical got approximately ten minutes of live feedback from actual working theater professionals, including some pretty big names (Gerard Alessandrini, Michael John LaChiusa, and Alfred Uhry). I particularly liked that they were not reviews—they were comments on reactions to the works themselves. (Almost ConcertMeister-ish, eh?)
Taking Off (with a reference to Company, since the characters included three flight attendant (plus one who was brought into service as a last-minute replacement). Takeaway: The sky’s the limit, but there’s no limit to the sky. It was less sappy than it looks in print. The piece was very funny, especially in its use of props as gags.
Dybbuk of the Opera (with a reference to Phantom).
This one didn’t quite do it for me. In fact, most of the comments after the fact kept referring to ‘potential’. Not quite the kiss of death, but …
They’re Still Here (A Companion to Follies) needs no real introduction. My notes (which were pretty much backed up by the responses from the panel) included that it was pretty good but lacked a bit of distinction and clarity.
A Life Wide Open was a little scattered. It had hints of Gothic intrigue, and ‘eyes wide open’ featured in the lyrics and the plot. In a slightly heavy handed way, maybe a reference to A Little Night Music?
After the lunch break, we began with The Eyes of Vienna. Apparently it was an homage to Hal Prince’s Paradise Found (a reference lost on me). The two-hander was quirky, at best.
Derailed followed. Hello, Hal Prince’s On the Twentieth Century! This one had the largest cast (eight) playing the largest number of roles (twelve), and featured a real Opening Number!, a cappella barbershop harmonies, and a perfect play on words. Our heroine was on a train that suddenly had no conductor. The only way they could keep going was if someone could keep fueling the locomotive. Our heroine could! Her father taught her everything he knew. Yes, he was … the coal porter! (Ba-DUM-bum-ching!) This was easily the most fully developed of all eight musicals on the program, even if some of the shtick was predictable. Hey, it was funny shtick!
Musical Theatre Will Save the World (and other blatant lies). This one was a little too trite and a little too canned for me. By the time we got to the musical within a musical within a musical, I was over it. I think there may have been one more (too many).
It’s Got to Be Grocer, It’s Green – A Less Bloody Tale of Sweeney Todd. Nancy and Tom sell Beet Pies. Not too many. They develop a new vegan mixture that seems to sell pretty well. Nancy’s beau’s mom is a butcher and is kind of pissed off that Bobby is hanging out with Nancy. Nancy and Tom’s pies take off—especially after Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop is raided. This was a one joke concept, relatively static, that ran its course yet still spun it out pretty well.
A note on the performances—they were all incredibly good. Obviously I had favorites and less than favorites. But there were so many performers that naming them all would mean nothing to you. That said, I must single one out. Alison J. Freeman performed in six of the eight shows. Oh, and she wrote the lyrics and part of the book for one of them as well. Kudos to a well-rounded theater artiste.
ConcertMeister
Monday, September 30, 2019
Friday, September 27, 2019
Pace Inaugural Concert (9/25/19)
Music by huh?, John Cage, Julius Epstein, and Philip Glass. Played by huh? (There was no printed program.)
OK, I'm back from internet searches. (I should not be working this hard.)
Pauline Oliveros’s Tuning Meditation (1971); John Cage’s In a Landscape (1948), Julius Eastman’s rarely heard Piano 2 (1986); and Philip Glass’s Dreaming Awake (2007). Curated and performed by pianist Pedja Muzijevic.
The first work was a non-starter for me. Ms. Oliveros wrote instructions for people to breathe in and then make a sound on their exhale. The instructions then exhorted the exhalers to increase the listening area of their ears while continuing to exhale/make sounds. It sort of fell flat.
On to the 'real' music, to my ears. The John Cage piece was gently rippling—a wash of sound, often with the sustained pedal on the piano being used. I was reminded of Erik Satie but it was definitely a new voice. There was a nice range of volume while maintaining the gentle quality.
The first movement of the Epstein was much more modern. While being rhythmic and borderline harsh at times, it was also interesting if a bit wandering. The second movement was more rangy on the keyboard, and included more explosive moments than we heard in the first movement. The third movement had repetitive rhythmic phrases—sort of like avant-garde meets Chopsticks. It also meandered and I just didn't get the point.
The Philip Glass piece definitely had his repetitive phrases but they were much more varied than I've experienced listening to this composer. It was actually tuneful at times, with a wistful quality. Indeed, as I was leaving the venue I heard one woman ask her companion, "Was that actually Philip Glass? It didn't sound like his stuff." I agree.
The pieces were performed in a gallery space where Fred Wilson's Chandeliers was on display. It sort of all fit together—the music was at times ethereal and the chandeliers on display were gently dispersing their lights. The concrete artist was on site for the event.
Interestingly, prosecco was available to the guests before the concert began. This was very similar to the Movado Hour at the Baryshnikov Arts Center a few years back. Mr. Muzijevic is associated with the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Curious.
ConcertMeister
OK, I'm back from internet searches. (I should not be working this hard.)
Pauline Oliveros’s Tuning Meditation (1971); John Cage’s In a Landscape (1948), Julius Eastman’s rarely heard Piano 2 (1986); and Philip Glass’s Dreaming Awake (2007). Curated and performed by pianist Pedja Muzijevic.
The first work was a non-starter for me. Ms. Oliveros wrote instructions for people to breathe in and then make a sound on their exhale. The instructions then exhorted the exhalers to increase the listening area of their ears while continuing to exhale/make sounds. It sort of fell flat.
On to the 'real' music, to my ears. The John Cage piece was gently rippling—a wash of sound, often with the sustained pedal on the piano being used. I was reminded of Erik Satie but it was definitely a new voice. There was a nice range of volume while maintaining the gentle quality.
The first movement of the Epstein was much more modern. While being rhythmic and borderline harsh at times, it was also interesting if a bit wandering. The second movement was more rangy on the keyboard, and included more explosive moments than we heard in the first movement. The third movement had repetitive rhythmic phrases—sort of like avant-garde meets Chopsticks. It also meandered and I just didn't get the point.
The Philip Glass piece definitely had his repetitive phrases but they were much more varied than I've experienced listening to this composer. It was actually tuneful at times, with a wistful quality. Indeed, as I was leaving the venue I heard one woman ask her companion, "Was that actually Philip Glass? It didn't sound like his stuff." I agree.
The pieces were performed in a gallery space where Fred Wilson's Chandeliers was on display. It sort of all fit together—the music was at times ethereal and the chandeliers on display were gently dispersing their lights. The concrete artist was on site for the event.
Interestingly, prosecco was available to the guests before the concert began. This was very similar to the Movado Hour at the Baryshnikov Arts Center a few years back. Mr. Muzijevic is associated with the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Curious.
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
National Jazz Museum in Harlem (9/21/19)
I went there on Smithsonian Magazine’s Free Museum Day. While I enjoyed it, I was a little surprised at its modest size. It’s on the ground floor of a building on West 129th Street and was like a regular apartment gussied up as a museum. On exhibition was a nice grouping of items and interactive stations all dealing with Duke Ellington. His white baby grand was there (no touching allowed) and there was also a pianola—player piano—on display (no touching). One wall had big blowups of some of his sheet music.
One case had tickets to a rent party, something that was very popular in the 1920s, ’30s, and beyond. They were usually referred to as Social Parties or Whist Parties, but the funds generated helped folks make their rent. There were also printed programs from select concerts, a trumpet (I forget whose) and a tenor saxophone (I forget whose, but he was known for playing with a really big, powerful sound). I especially liked the group photo of fifty-plus jazz musicians, taken outside of a building on West 126th Street. It was mostly men, but Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland were included; I have, and enjoy, CDs by both of these pianistic ladies. In doing some online research for this post, I learned that there was a documentary film made—A Great Day in Harlem—based on this photo.
As far as interactive went, there were headphones available to watch and listen to videos as well as a test version of a keyboard that you could play, as if you were sitting in on a jam session. There were three choices: easy, medium, and hard. I have a strong feeling that even easy would be beyond my skill set, so I didn’t even bother trying.
All of it was interesting, but I ended up spending only a little more than thirty minutes there. I heard someone ask what museum admission is on a non-free day. A suggested $10.00 donation. I’m glad I went when I did. I wanted something slightly off the beaten track and I got just that. Would I heartily recommend it? I don’t think so. Maybe a mild recommendation.
MuseumMeister
I went there on Smithsonian Magazine’s Free Museum Day. While I enjoyed it, I was a little surprised at its modest size. It’s on the ground floor of a building on West 129th Street and was like a regular apartment gussied up as a museum. On exhibition was a nice grouping of items and interactive stations all dealing with Duke Ellington. His white baby grand was there (no touching allowed) and there was also a pianola—player piano—on display (no touching). One wall had big blowups of some of his sheet music.
One case had tickets to a rent party, something that was very popular in the 1920s, ’30s, and beyond. They were usually referred to as Social Parties or Whist Parties, but the funds generated helped folks make their rent. There were also printed programs from select concerts, a trumpet (I forget whose) and a tenor saxophone (I forget whose, but he was known for playing with a really big, powerful sound). I especially liked the group photo of fifty-plus jazz musicians, taken outside of a building on West 126th Street. It was mostly men, but Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland were included; I have, and enjoy, CDs by both of these pianistic ladies. In doing some online research for this post, I learned that there was a documentary film made—A Great Day in Harlem—based on this photo.
As far as interactive went, there were headphones available to watch and listen to videos as well as a test version of a keyboard that you could play, as if you were sitting in on a jam session. There were three choices: easy, medium, and hard. I have a strong feeling that even easy would be beyond my skill set, so I didn’t even bother trying.
All of it was interesting, but I ended up spending only a little more than thirty minutes there. I heard someone ask what museum admission is on a non-free day. A suggested $10.00 donation. I’m glad I went when I did. I wanted something slightly off the beaten track and I got just that. Would I heartily recommend it? I don’t think so. Maybe a mild recommendation.
MuseumMeister
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Wonder Women of the Silents (9/14/19)
This was the opening salvo for this season’s The Silent Clowns Film Series. The features were 1920’s Cinderella Cinders and 1927’s It. Cinderella Cinders starred Alice Howell while It starred the It Girl, Clara Bow. I liked Alice Howell better.
With her mop of wiry hair and her quirky (not-quite-Chaplin-esque) walk, Alice presents as a very funny comedienne. As a cook in a diner, she had really funny bits serving soup assembly line style. When one diner’s beard slopped into the soup, she pulled it out. The next time it did, she cut it off. Funny stuff. And her flipping of flapjacks also made for some zany visuals.
After being fired, however, she found herself in the union hall when a request came in for one cook at a fancy mansion—cue the requisite chase scene. Cindy got the job and then had to assume the role of bunco artist Countess de Bunco. After much (hic!) tippling and the arrival of the real, faux Countess de Bunco, all worked out well for Cindy in the end. Funny, funny stuff.
It, starring Clara Bow, is a classic example of a lower class shop girl setting her sights on her upper class boss. Bolts of cloth wend their way through the department store where she works and he is the boss. Identities are flipped among the shop girls for comic purposes from time to time. Throughout it all, there was heavy emphasis on the It factor—who has It and who doesn’t. Apparently the Clara Bow character (and Clara, herself) had It. I didn’t see It. Perhaps the ‘perfect flapper’ has lost some appeal some 90+ years later?
In the end, Clara got her beau, after slapstick comedy involving yachting and people falling overboard. It didn’t do It for me. For the record, It was based on a story by Elinor Glyn who had such a following in the late 1920s that she made an appearance in the film, as herself. This also didn’t do It for me.
ConcertMeister
With her mop of wiry hair and her quirky (not-quite-Chaplin-esque) walk, Alice presents as a very funny comedienne. As a cook in a diner, she had really funny bits serving soup assembly line style. When one diner’s beard slopped into the soup, she pulled it out. The next time it did, she cut it off. Funny stuff. And her flipping of flapjacks also made for some zany visuals.
After being fired, however, she found herself in the union hall when a request came in for one cook at a fancy mansion—cue the requisite chase scene. Cindy got the job and then had to assume the role of bunco artist Countess de Bunco. After much (hic!) tippling and the arrival of the real, faux Countess de Bunco, all worked out well for Cindy in the end. Funny, funny stuff.
It, starring Clara Bow, is a classic example of a lower class shop girl setting her sights on her upper class boss. Bolts of cloth wend their way through the department store where she works and he is the boss. Identities are flipped among the shop girls for comic purposes from time to time. Throughout it all, there was heavy emphasis on the It factor—who has It and who doesn’t. Apparently the Clara Bow character (and Clara, herself) had It. I didn’t see It. Perhaps the ‘perfect flapper’ has lost some appeal some 90+ years later?
In the end, Clara got her beau, after slapstick comedy involving yachting and people falling overboard. It didn’t do It for me. For the record, It was based on a story by Elinor Glyn who had such a following in the late 1920s that she made an appearance in the film, as herself. This also didn’t do It for me.
ConcertMeister
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Sirius Quartet (9/7/19)
Beside the Point – Fung Chern Hwei
Knives Out – Radiohead (arr. – Gregor Huebner)
Cavatina – Stanley Myers (arr. – F. C. Hwei)
New World, Nov. 9, 2016 – G. Huebner
#STILL – G. Huebner
To A New Day – F. C. Hwei
More Than We Are – Jeremy Harman
This was the season finale of the Rite of Summer Music Festival, held on Governors Island each summer. The quartet consisted of Fung Chern Hwei, violin; Gregor Huebner, violin; ___, viola; and Jeremy Harman, cello. That’s right, the violist’s name appears nowhere in the printed program. OK, back from an internet search—Ron Lawrence, viola. One of the things I learned about the quartet is that they have a bit of an in-your-face political agenda to their programming. More about that later.
Beside the Point was OK, if a little bit avant-garde. The backstory is that the violinist had cut his finger and couldn’t play his instrument for a while. Instead, he set out to compose a piece that, for him, dealt with many other things that are essentially beside the point. At least that’s my understanding of his explanation.
Knives Out had many repetitive phrases with an almost country twang. Not being a Radiohead fan, I did not recognize the tune. Cavatina began with solo viola that was backed up by the other three players. With the melody shifting to first violin and then second violin, the piece was gentle and moving. This was easily my favorite piece on the program. The song/tune was also used in (or written for?) the film The Deer Hunter. I did not recognize it, either. Thanks again, internet. The song was written for a different movie, The Walking Stick. I had no idea.
New World, Nov. 9, 2016 was overtly political. The piece references a well-known theme from Dvořak’s New World Symphony. You might recognize it if I called it Goin’ Home. Mr. Huebner’s work was filled with political anger as a response to the results of the 2016 election. While interesting enough, for me it went on far too long. But it did win a composition contest sponsored by the New York Philharmonic.
#STILL was a meandering New-Age-y piece that was inspired by the poem and song Strange Fruit. To A New Day was written to honor the new Malaysian government that many worked hard to get voted in. It was modern but pretty listenable and sounded as though it might have incorporated folk tunes.
More Than We Are closed out the concert with lots of bold, full-sounding phrases that were sort of like blocks of sound. Once again, interesting if a little too long.
One thing about the Rite of Summer concerts is that the 1:00pm performance is repeated at 3:00pm. So far, I haven’t felt compelled to attend any of the second performances.
I wore my Rite of Summer t-shirt to all four concerts this season, and I’ll most likely be going back next year for their 10th season.
ConcertMeister
Knives Out – Radiohead (arr. – Gregor Huebner)
Cavatina – Stanley Myers (arr. – F. C. Hwei)
New World, Nov. 9, 2016 – G. Huebner
#STILL – G. Huebner
To A New Day – F. C. Hwei
More Than We Are – Jeremy Harman
This was the season finale of the Rite of Summer Music Festival, held on Governors Island each summer. The quartet consisted of Fung Chern Hwei, violin; Gregor Huebner, violin; ___, viola; and Jeremy Harman, cello. That’s right, the violist’s name appears nowhere in the printed program. OK, back from an internet search—Ron Lawrence, viola. One of the things I learned about the quartet is that they have a bit of an in-your-face political agenda to their programming. More about that later.
Beside the Point was OK, if a little bit avant-garde. The backstory is that the violinist had cut his finger and couldn’t play his instrument for a while. Instead, he set out to compose a piece that, for him, dealt with many other things that are essentially beside the point. At least that’s my understanding of his explanation.
Knives Out had many repetitive phrases with an almost country twang. Not being a Radiohead fan, I did not recognize the tune. Cavatina began with solo viola that was backed up by the other three players. With the melody shifting to first violin and then second violin, the piece was gentle and moving. This was easily my favorite piece on the program. The song/tune was also used in (or written for?) the film The Deer Hunter. I did not recognize it, either. Thanks again, internet. The song was written for a different movie, The Walking Stick. I had no idea.
New World, Nov. 9, 2016 was overtly political. The piece references a well-known theme from Dvořak’s New World Symphony. You might recognize it if I called it Goin’ Home. Mr. Huebner’s work was filled with political anger as a response to the results of the 2016 election. While interesting enough, for me it went on far too long. But it did win a composition contest sponsored by the New York Philharmonic.
#STILL was a meandering New-Age-y piece that was inspired by the poem and song Strange Fruit. To A New Day was written to honor the new Malaysian government that many worked hard to get voted in. It was modern but pretty listenable and sounded as though it might have incorporated folk tunes.
More Than We Are closed out the concert with lots of bold, full-sounding phrases that were sort of like blocks of sound. Once again, interesting if a little too long.
One thing about the Rite of Summer concerts is that the 1:00pm performance is repeated at 3:00pm. So far, I haven’t felt compelled to attend any of the second performances.
I wore my Rite of Summer t-shirt to all four concerts this season, and I’ll most likely be going back next year for their 10th season.
ConcertMeister
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
remembrance (8/31/19)
This was presented/performed by Linked Dance Theatre as an interactive theatre presentation. Not my favorite but, hey, it was free. Since it’s interactive, I don’t want to give too much away, in case you want to go to Governors Island later in September, which I highly recommend.
Margaret: Cindy Rosenthal, Maya Gonzalez, Rita McCann; Frances, Florence, Carolyn: Kellyn Thornburg; Tyler, Young Tyler, Paul: Jordan Chlackpecka. Friends & Family: The Audience (aye, there’s the rub)—yes, we were part of the performance.
Yep, Margaret (whose birthday we were ostensibly celebrating) couldn’t remember who we were. Bless our hearts, we played along—posed for a photo, applauded a birthday cake, signed a card, blew up balloons, read from a kiddie Peter Pan book (me), and interacted a lot—‘only go through the open door’ …
It was interesting, and I played along. I wish I could tell you how it ended. I was asked to gather my things and exit at one point. (I’m not quite sure why—I was not drunk at the party.) Another person came out after I did. She was also not convinced as to why. No one else came out for at least 20 minutes more.
I wish I knew how it ended. But I will not be going back to find out. I could be thrown out earlier!
ConcertMeister
Margaret: Cindy Rosenthal, Maya Gonzalez, Rita McCann; Frances, Florence, Carolyn: Kellyn Thornburg; Tyler, Young Tyler, Paul: Jordan Chlackpecka. Friends & Family: The Audience (aye, there’s the rub)—yes, we were part of the performance.
Yep, Margaret (whose birthday we were ostensibly celebrating) couldn’t remember who we were. Bless our hearts, we played along—posed for a photo, applauded a birthday cake, signed a card, blew up balloons, read from a kiddie Peter Pan book (me), and interacted a lot—‘only go through the open door’ …
It was interesting, and I played along. I wish I could tell you how it ended. I was asked to gather my things and exit at one point. (I’m not quite sure why—I was not drunk at the party.) Another person came out after I did. She was also not convinced as to why. No one else came out for at least 20 minutes more.
I wish I knew how it ended. But I will not be going back to find out. I could be thrown out earlier!
ConcertMeister
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