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VTA presents Traces

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Victoria Theatre Association is bringing the exciting production “Traces” to Dayton starting December 6 through December 18.  From the Traces website:

Traces takes place in a make-shift shelter, an unknown catastrophe waiting outside the doors of tarp and gaffer tape. The seven characters constructed this clubhouse to live to the fullest what they believe could be their last moments, hoping to leave nothing unsaid or undone. In the face of this impending disaster they have determined that creation is the only antidote to destruction, and their brand of creation is the fleeting impulses and desires that extend through their bodies and unfurl onto stage – the story is told through music, song, dance, speech, illustration, and high-risk acrobatics. The characters use every mode of expression available to them, hoping to leave a lasting mark… to leave their traces as best they can.

As they tell the stories of their past and share their various personal strengths and weaknesses, the audience gets to know these seven performers from every possible angle. The familiarity grows, and the acrobatics – a seemingly “inhuman” element – takes on a startlingly human nature. At its heart, Traces celebrates seven individuals, their particular bond and their particular talents; their risk-taking; the ultimate affirmation of life; and their unbridled energy, proof of a collective pounding pulse.

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Traces is a production of the Montreal troupe Les 7 doigts de la main  which translates to “the 7 fingers of the hand” – representing the seven founding directors of the company and a twist on a French idiom (“the five fingers of the hand”) used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal.  7 Fingers was founded in 2002 with a simple mission – bring circus to a human scale.  Traces, one of several shows under the 7 Fingers belt, is “a circus that lets its freak flag fly” (NYT).  Unlike mega-productions like Cirque du Soleil (where the founders of 7 Fingers came from), the performers in Traces share their own personal stories in an intimate setting as they combine acrobatics with contemporary dance and urban elements like basketball and skateboarding.

DaytonMostMetro.com is proud to be a media sponsor for Traces, starting at the Victoria Theatre on December 6th.  Tickets are on sale at TicketCenterStage.com.

TICKET CONTEST

We’re giving away THREE PAIRS OF TICKETS to see Traces!  Just fill out the form below for a chance to win – we have one pair of tickets for each of the following shows: 12/6, 12/7 and 12/8.  Winners will be announced on Friday December 2 at 2pm.  Good luck!

(contest closed)

Congratulations to our following winners!

Amy Forsthoefel

Trang Lickliter

Sarah Muench

Getting a ‘Handel’ on the True Spirit of Christmas

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DPO presents Messiah in original seasonal setting

Here’s a quick tutorial on Christmas:

Definition – “Christ’s Mass”; a holiday to memorialize the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.

Meaning – the celebration of God coming into the world in human form to do penance for mankind’s sins.

Impact – Each year, Christmas and Easter are the periods of highest church attendance.

Decorations – Greenery, such as branches from evergreen plants, ivy, and holly; nativity scenes; the traditional colors of green (symbolizing eternal life) and red (symbolizing the blood Jesus shed at his crucifixion); and the evergreen Christmas tree, which keeps its leaves in the winter.

Songs – Christmas carols, which first appeared in English in 1426, and completely secular Christmas seasonal songs that emerged in the late 18th century. (Deck The Halls and Jingle Bells).

Meals – A traditional Christmas family meal with each country having its own, special menu.

Cards – the first commercial Christmas card dates from 1843 in London.

Figures – Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus; Père Noël; the Wiehnachtsmann; Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas; the Christkind; Kris Kringle; Joulupukki; Babbo Natale; Saint Basil; and Father Frost.

Writings – Clement Moore’s poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) and Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol (It’s where the greeting ‘Merry Christmas’ comes from).

Here endeth the tutorial.

DPO and the DPO Chamber Choir will present Handel’s Messiah
December ­11 at 4pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 125 North Wilkinson Street

Religious holidays such as Christmas have always inspired the composition of sacred songs and hymns for use in church services. For example, in 1741, George Frederick Handel composed an oratorio for another church holiday – Easter. Handel was a German composer, who received his musical training in Italy and spent most of his life in England.

A bit of a loose cannon, Handel – eighteen and frustrated with the musical chauvinism where he lived, actually dueled with another composer over opera music. Eventually, he became become court composer, and his patron at court, the Elector of Hanover, became King George I of England. A few years later Handel recognized his chance and moved to England. Permanently.

The sacred, non-dramatic oratorio he had written for Easter was entitled Messiah.

Here’s a quick tutorial on oratorios:

Embodiment – a large musical composition with arias, performed by an orchestra, a choir, soloists, and various distinguishable characters.

Performance – little or no interaction between the characters; no props or elaborate costumes.

Subject Matter – sacred topics, making it appropriate for performance in the church.

Here endeth the tutorial.

Handel was down on his luck. His last two works, both operas, were duds, and he was ready to chuck it all and head back to Chauvinist heaven when Charles Jennens, a collaborator of his on the oratorio Saul, saved him the bother.

Jennens had written a libretto (text for an extended musical work) based around the birth and Passion of Christ. He gave it to Handel, who wrote a score for it in a little over three weeks. The completed work, text and music, bore the name Messiah.

Messiah has three parts: the Prophecy of the Messiah and its fulfillment, the events from the Passion to the triumph of the Resurrection, and the role of the Messiah in life after death. None of the characters have names. The words express the drama. The Hallelujah Chorus of Messiah has become both a musical, and a spiritual, icon.

Today, orchestras and choruses perform Messiah in churches at Christmas almost as much as at Easter. Why?

Because Christmas, as a religious holiday, has been held hostage. It has become a prisoner of war.

In the U.S. there has been a tendency to replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. Allegations abound that any specific mention of the term “Christmas” or its religious aspects are increasingly suppressed, avoided, or deterred by a number of advertisers and retailers.

Christmas is typically the largest annual economic stimulus for many nations around the world. Sales increase dramatically in almost all retail areas, and shops introduce new products as people purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies. In the U.S., the Christmas shopping season starts as early as October. It has been calculated that a quarter of all personal spending takes place during the Christmas/holiday shopping season.

Some Christian and non-Christians have claimed all this crass commercialization to be an affront to Christmas.

In several Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Colombia they’ve managed a compromise between religious and secular beliefs. Current tradition maintains that Santa makes the toys, which he then gives to the Baby Jesus to deliver to children’s homes.

In Dayton, no one is making any compromises. At least no one at the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. On Sunday, December ­11 at 4pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 125 North Wilkinson Street, the DPO and the DPO Chamber Choir will present Handel’s Messiah.

Soprano Megan Bell, alto Julia Bentley, tenor Matt Morgan, and bass Curtis Streetman will join DPO Music Director Neal Gittleman and DPO Chamber Choir Director Hank Dahlman for the performance of this revered holiday classic.

And this statement of faith and love at Christmas time, the season of faith and love.

Golden Dragon Acrobats – Family Fun at the Victoria Theatre

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Victoria Theatre Association announces the 2011-2012 PNC Family Series presentation of Golden Dragon Acrobats December 3 & 4 at 1pm and 3:30pm in the historic Victoria Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at the Ticket Center Stage Box Office, via phone 937.228.3630 or online.
Bring the whole family to Victoria Theatre for an amazing experience with the Golden Dragon Acrobats! From contortionists to an eight-person bicycle balancing act to breath-taking acrobatic ballet, Golden Dragon Acrobats will “wow” the audience with their amazing skills.  And while you’re there, check out the Wintergarden Wonderland for holiday fun!
Direct from China world-renowned impresario Danny Chang, choreographer Angela Chang and their Golden Dragon Acrobats combine award-winning acrobatics, traditional Chinese dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty. The award-winning Golden Dragon Acrobats center their show on 25 centuries of honored Asian skills and traditions. Their dazzling performances received standing ovations and critical acclaim on Broadway as well as two New York Drama Desk nominations for Unique Theatrical Experience and Best Choreography.
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The PNC Family Series is the largest and oldest performing arts series for children in the Miami Valley. For over 25 years, Victoria Theatre Association has presented quality, entertaining programs for families and friends of all ages. Don’t miss out on fun craft activities beginning one hour before each performance on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for Golden Dragon Acrobats are priced at a family-friendly $20 for adults and $18 for children (ages 12 and under). Tickets are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage, and may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

DMM Ticket Contest

We have a family four-pack to give away for the show on December 3, 2011 at 1pm courtesy of Victoria Theatre Association!  Simply fill out the form below to be entered for a chance to win.  We’ll announce winners here and on our On Stage Dayton Facebook page on Wednesday November 30 at 2pm – good luck!

(contest closed)

Congratulations to Heather Dabbs – she is our random winner!

An Epic Tale Reborn

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Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Tony Award-winning “Les Miserables,” one of the most internationally beloved musicals of our time adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo, returns to Dayton as a freshly reconceived epic impressively heightened by an outstanding array of vocal and visual pleasures.

This 25th anniversary production, presented at the Schuster Center courtesy of the Victoria Theatre Association’s Good Samaritan and Miami Valley Hospitals Broadway Series, uniquely shines without the familiar trademarks “Les Mis” audiences have grown accustomed to such as the revolving turntable or Trevor Nunn and John Caird’s original whirlwind stagecraft. Co-directors Laurence Connor and James Powell, firmly intent to keep the action just under three hours, refreshingly dial down any morsel of spectacle to effectively place the libretto and score front and center with a great sense of urgency that serves the sweeping if melodramatic tale, which chronicles the redemptive journey of ex-convict Jean Valjean in 19th century France. Connor and Powell, embracing the novel idea of color blind casting, have particularly found new ways to approach the emotional potency that fills practically every scene. For example, in “Turning,” the women of Paris remember the fallen rebels by placing candles on the ground which are subsequently carried away by the deceased men during the haunting “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” passionately rendered by Max Quinlan as Marius. The production’s conceptual allure extends to the evocative contributions of set designer Matt Kinley whose work, inspired by Hugo’s paintings, nicely compliments the action rather than appearing showy or distracting. Fifty-Nine Productions is responsible for a striking series of cinematic projections which rank among the finest I have seen since viewing the Broadway premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s short-lived “The Woman in White” in 2005. The fantastic sight of the sewers in Act 2 alone is worth the price of admission.

Authentically clothed by Tony winner Andreane Neofitou with additional designs by Christine Rowland, the uniformly terrific cast, clearly propelling the sung-through score to spine-tingling proportions under the steady guidance of musical director Robert Billig, avoids bombastic urges with sharp, expressive portrayals. Sublime tenor J. Mark McVey, an appealing source of conviction, warmth and vitality as Valjean, duly receives the biggest applause of the night for his absolutely heartfelt rendition of the signature tune “Bring Him Home,” initially interpreted as a pensive lullaby yet climaxing as a powerful plea. Robust baritone Andrew Varela is an excellently imposing presence as Inspector Javert, Valjean’s relentless nemesis. Chasten Harmon, a heartbreaking Eponine, delivers a dynamically poignant “On My Own” and an equally stunning “A Little Fall of Rain” so gripping you will feel every inch of Eponine’s tragic fate. As the delightfully dastardly Thenardiers, Richard Vida and a particularly magnetic Shawna M. Hamic breezily insert a few comical Fagin-esque twists and turns into their rousing version of “Master of the House.” Jenny Latimer, as Cosette, creates a strong bond with Quinlan. Jeremy Hays, a fiery Enjolras, leads a stellar “Do You Hear The People Sing.” Understudy Cornelia Luna, as the ill-fated Fatine, supplies a beautifully sincere rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream.” Lucia Giannetta briefly dazzles opposite Luna as an outspoken Factory Girl.

“Les Mis” purists might have qualms with the artistic makeover on display, but the material, a richly woven tapestry of faith, forgiveness, love, loss, and valiance, certainly remains as captivating and compelling as ever.

“Les Miserables” continues through November 27 at the Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets. Performances are Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Act One: 93 minutes; Act Two: 65 minutes. Tickets are $40-$101. For tickets or more information, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com

Don’t Miss THE DESCENDANTS at THE NEON!

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Hello Everyone,

If you still need to catch TAKE SHELTER or MARGIN CALL, tomorrow (11/22) will be your last chance to see them at THE NEON.  On Wednesday, we open my favorite American film of the year – THE DESCENDANTS – directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney.  I fell in love with this film at The Toronto International Film Festival,  and it has nothing to do with the fact that George Clooney was three feet away from me at the after-party.  As funny as it is touching, this film has been given a 100% review from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Chicago-Sun Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter and many more.  I think it’s a shoe-in to be nominated for “Best Picture” this year.

Synopsis for THE DESCENDANTS:  “Matt King is an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.” (Fox Searchlight)   Click HERE to visit the film’s official website.

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Upcoming dates are changing all around, and it’s quite possible that The Weinstein Company may give us MY WEEK WITH MARILYN on December 2…but we’ll have to wait and see.

And don’t forget that we’ll be hosting holiday films on Saturdays in December…sponsored by The Downtown Dayton Partnership, DP&L and THE NEON.  The movies begin at noon and are free for children 12 and under; other tickets are only $2 each.  On December 3, we will play MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (original 1947 version).  On December 10 – POLAR EXPRESS.  And lastly, on December 17, we will play A CHRISTMAS STORY.  All of these movies will be presented via digital video projection.

For remaining showtimes for this week, visit www.neonmovies.com.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hope to see you very soon,

Jonathan

 

SHOWTIMES forWed. November 23 – Thur. December 1:

THE DESCENDANTS (R) 1 Hrs 55 Min

Wednesday & Thursday: 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:45

Friday,Saturday, Sunday:  12:15, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:45

Monday – Thursday:  2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:45

 MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (R) 1 Hr 42 Min

Wednesday & Thursday: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50

Friday,Saturday, Sunday:  12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50

Monday – Thursday:  3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative.  Some of these dates will change.

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Dec. 2 (?)  MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

TBD   THE SKIN I LIVE IN

TBD   MELANCHOLIA

TBD   WEEKEND

Dec. 25   THE ARTIST

TBD   THE HEDGEHOG

Jan. 20   SHAME

Jan. 20   CARNAGE

Jan. 27   A DANGEROUS METHOD

Dayton Playhouse Presents “Scrooge!”

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Emily Cypher (Tiny Tim), Shannon Eastman (Kathy Cratchit) and Scrooge (David Shough)

The Dayton Playhouse is proud to bring the holiday musical “Scrooge!” to the stage December 9 – 18.  The play is being directed byJennifer Lockwood, with musical director Ron Kindell, and choreographer Debra Strauss.

Renowned writer-composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse has adapted the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol, into the hit musical “Scrooge!”  The musical closely follows the classic story with the miserly Ebenezer undergoing a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.  Lockwood has assembled a talented cast to perform this beautiful adaptation.

In conjunction with the production of “Scrooge!”, the Playhouse will host a toy/collectibles raffle.  One of the toys is a reproduction of a toy automobile, which was made inDaytonin 1902.  The original toy was made by DP Clark Toy Company.  The reproduction was made and donated by Dick Cummings and Burt Saidel, both of Oakwood.  Cummings and Saidel are active volunteers atCarillonParkand have worked on many of the restorations at the park.  Cummings and his wife Dorothy have donated 190Daytonantique toys toCarillonPark.   Other items in the raffle will include a Breyer’s Winter Belle – 2011 Holiday Horse collectible donated by Dan Hall and a Victorian doll donated by Blue Turtle Toys.

Dayton Playhouse Cast of "Scrooge!"

Performances of “Scrooge!” will take place at the Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave, Dayton, OH45414.  Friday and Saturday performances are at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday performances are at 2:00 p.m.  Tickets are $10 for students, $14 for seniors and $15 for adults.  Tickets can be purchased at www.daytonplayhouse.org, or by calling the Playhouse box office 937-424-8477.  The box office is staffed by volunteers Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2-5 p.m.

(from Dayton Playhouse)

 

Martha Moody – Sometimes Mine

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Martha Moody, a prominent fiction writer in the Dayton area, was kind enough to talk about her recent novel in depth over dinner. Sometimes Mine, which is now in paperback, is about Genie – a middle aged woman that finds love with a man that is anything but available. This touching love story is more about learning to open your heart rather than the simple fairy tale of most love stories on the shelves. Sometimes Mine is a story of love, loss, and this rollercoaster called life. While Moody is proud of her recent novel, she opened up about a new novel she’s been working on that she hopes will allow her to break into the young adult fiction genre.

“I have two novels that I have finished. One of them is more of a dystopian fiction novel. It’s set in Dayton in the future, during the years 2047-2048 during a war,” said Moody about one of her new projects, “I’ve been working on it since around 1998!”

Moody has a lot to look forward to with her two new novels going in for editing and her four sons pursuing their careers and educations, but she finds time for a program that takes students to Israel to learn more about the culture.

“I now volunteer in an Arab village and we teach English to children there in the summer. And last year six students went over and stayed with host families. It’s in the Galilee,” said Moody excitedly about the opportunities she’s experienced.

Martha Moody

Before dinner is over she points to a large packet that she has next to her and tells me that she has some editing on her other novel to do before the speaking event she’s attending that evening.

“My other novel is a multi-generation family saga about two families joined by marriages over 30 odd years,” said Moody about her work that is soon to hit the shelves.

Martha Moody is considered one of the most popular authors in Dayton, and there’s no wonder why with her insightful novels and beautifully written tales of friendship, family, and love. Make sure to check the shelves for more to come from this great author!

 

Biking In The House with Melissa Fay Greene (with a helmet, of course)

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Melissa Fay Greene’s new novel has just hit shelves. The novel, No Biking in the House Without a Helmet, is something of a memoir, though Greene would hate to admit that because of her previous academia experience. But we don’t fault her at all for her use of the memoir simply because of the heartfelt and beautiful description of her family’s incredible story.

During the annual Dayton Jewish Cultural Arts and Books Festival, Greene came to speak at Books & Co., about her new novel. While being charismatic and charming Greene read excerpt from the novel and told her own person stories about raising four of her own children and adopting five more.

Greene’s novel is about her family’s experience of adoption with one child from Bulgaria and four more from Ethiopia. The rocky start of adopting their first child didn’t dissuade them from opening their family three more times as they adopted two more children separately and then two brothers at the same time.

While there are some hilarious moments in the book that make you laugh until you cry, the true story is the love and acceptance that was shown by all members of the Greene household. The Greene family, with all its lovable add-ins, is the true definition of a loving home.

Not only was Greene wonderful to listen to but the novel is a definite must read.

Read a book review on the novel No Biking in the House Without a Helmet at NPR.org

 

Sundance Hit MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE Opens Tomorrow at THE NEON!

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Hello Everyone,

Schedule-wise, we’ve got an odd week coming.  On Friday, we will open the Sundance hit MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE.  We’ll also hold both MARGIN CALL and TAKE SHELTER…but only for part of the week.  On Wednesday (Nov. 23) we will open THE DESCENDANTS…but I’ll wait until next week’s update to tell you lots more about that film (if you can’t wait, check out the official site).

Synopsis for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE:  “MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE is a powerful psychological thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader. Seeking help from her estranged older sister Lucy and brother-in-law, Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her disappearance. When her memories trigger a chilling paranoia that her former cult could still be pursuing her, the line between Martha’s reality and delusion begins to blur.” (Fox Searchlight)  I had the chance to briefly speak with Elizabeth Olsen at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.  She was quite approachable and grounded, but I can tell that she’s going to be a big star.  Her performance in this film is fantastic!  Many people are calling the film “This year’s WINTER’S BONE.”  Click this LINK to visit the film’s official website.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERREgOobLOs’]

And don’t forget that we’ll be hosting holiday films on Saturdays in December…sponsored by The Downtown Dayton Partnership, DP&L and THE NEON.  The movies begin at noon and are free for children 12 and under; other tickets are only $2 each.  On December 3, we will play MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (original 1947 version).  On December 10 – POLAR EXPRESS.  And lastly, on December 17, we will play A CHRISTMAS STORY.  All of these movies will be presented via digital video projection.

Here’s some great news.  THE ARTIST, an absolutely delightful film, has been scheduled to open exclusively at THE NEON on December 25!  If you watch CBS Sunday Morning, you more than likely saw the segment this past weekend.  If you don’t know anything about the film, check out the trailer for this black & white treat.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzNhyZlTNAg’]

Hope to see you very soon,

Jonathan

 

SHOWTIMES for Fri. Nov 18 – Tue. Nov 22:

MARGIN CALL (R) 1 Hrs 47 Min

Friday,Saturday, Sunday:  12:20, 2:40, 7:20

Monday & Tuesday:  2:40, 7:20

TAKE SHELTER (R) 2 Hrs

Friday,Saturday, Sunday:  5:00, 9:40

Monday & Tuesday: 5:00

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (R) 1 Hr 42 Min

Friday,Saturday, Sunday:  12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50

Monday & Tuesday:  3:00, 5:15, 7:30

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative.  Some of these dates will change.

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Nov. 23  THE DESCENDANTS

TBD   THE SKIN I LIVE IN

TBD   MELANCHOLIA

Dec. 16   WEEKEND

Dec. 25   THE ARTIST

TBD   THE HEDGEHOG

Victoria Theatre Association Presents: Les Miserables

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(Read our On Stage Dayton review of Les Misérables by Russell Florence, Jr.)

Victoria Theatre Association announces the cast for Cameron Mackintosh’s new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables premiere Dayton engagement at the Benjamin & Marian Schuster  Performing Arts Center, November 22-27, 2011. The all new production of Les Misérables features glorious new staging and spectacular reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.  To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketcenterstage.com, call 937-228-3630, or visit Ticket Center Stage Box Office, located in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center. Ticket prices start at $40.00.  For more information on the production, engagement dates, and locations please visit www.LesMis.com. For a video sneak peek of the New 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, please visit www.LesMis.com/watch.

J. Mark McVey portrays the fugitive Jean Valjean.  He is joined by Andrew Varela as Javert, Richard Vida as Thénardier, Shawna M. Hamic as Madame Thénardier, Betsy Morgan as Fantine, Jeremy Hays as Enjolras, Chasten Harmon as Éponine, Max Quinlan as Marius and Jenny Latimer as Cosette.  Maya Jade Frank and Juliana Simone alternate in the role of Little Cosette/Young Éponine.  Anthony Pierini and Sam Poon alternate in the role of Gavroche.

The New York Times calls Les Misérables “an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish.” The London Times hails the new show “a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original.”  The Star-Ledger says “a dynamically re-imagined hit.  This Les Misérables has improved with age” and NY1-TV proclaims “this new production actually exceeds the original. The storytelling is clearer, the perspective grittier and the motivations more honest. Musical theatre fans can rejoice: Les Miz is born again.”

“I’m delighted that 25 years after Les Miz originally opened in London the audience for this marvelous show is bigger and younger than ever before,” said producer Cameron Mackintosh. “Over the years I have seen many successful but visually different productions, so it has been exciting to draw inspiration from the brilliant drawings and paintings of Victor Hugo himself, integrated with spectacular projections.  The new Les Miz is a magnificent mix of dazzling images and epic staging, driving one of the greatest musical stories ever told.”

Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit.  The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars,” “Bring Him Home,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” “One Day More,” “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” “Master Of The House” and many more.

Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original Les Misérables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.  The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and additional costumes by Christine Rowlands, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions.

Les Misérables originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on October 8, 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen’s Theatre on April 3, 2004 where it continues to play to packed houses. When Les Misérables celebrated its 21st London birthday on October 8, 2006, it became the World’s Longest-Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by Cats in London’s West End.

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In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the legendary musical Les Misérables made theatrical history with an international first – three different productions in London at the same time. The Original Production (still playing to packed houses at the Queen’s Theatre), the acclaimed New 25th Anniversary Production at the Barbican (where the show originally premiered) and a celebratory concert at The O2 Arena.  The O2 Concert was presented in over 500 cinemas throughout the United States on November 17, 2010 and is now available on Blu-ray DVD through Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The Broadway production of Les Misérables originally opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 17, 1990 running for 6,680 performances.  The US National Tour began in November 1987 and visited over 150 cities before closing in St. Louis, MO in 2006.  Broadway audiences welcomed Les Miz back to New York on November 9, 2006 where the show played the Broadhurst Theatre until its final performance on January 6, 2008. To date, Les Misérables remains the 3rd longest-running Broadway production of all time.

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Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of Les Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School’s Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools. Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing a film of Les Misérables with Working Title and Universal.

Les Misérables is welcomed by Victoria Theatre Association, with the help of Leadership Sponsors WHIO-TV and the WinWholesale and The Win Group of Companies; and, Performance Sponsors WHIO AM/FM and K 99.1.

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TICKET CONTEST

We have a pair of tickets to see Les Misérables on November 23, courtesy of Victoria Theatre Association!  Just fill out the form below and you’ll be entered to win in our drawing on Friday November 18th.  Check back here on the 18th to see if you’ve won – GOOD LUCK!

Contest Closed

Congratulations to Amanda Barhorst, she is our winner!

Dayton librarian’s whale of an art book scores big

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Matt Kish presents “Moby-Dick In Pictures: One Drawing For Every Page”

The legendary 19th-century novel Moby-Dick, or The Whale, is a story of obsession. No one, perhaps, understands that obsession quite so well as a Dayton librarian who spent 543 days creating an illustration for each of Moby-Dick’s pages – and now has the published book to prove it.

Matt Kish, who lives in Columbus, describes the closing months as brutal: “Those final 100 or so pages, when the book itself becomes pretty bleak, I had no personal time whatsoever, and I knew the only way I was going to get my life back was to finish this project.

“The only way through it was to symbolically kill the whale myself. I isolated myself, because I felt I had to save every available ounce of energy for the project. I became just as obsessed with finishing the project as Ahab was with the whale. Thankfully, my wife stayed with me.”

The final drawing emerged Jan. 29, his book contract was completed, and now the only obsession in Kish’s life is dealing with the incredible publicity his project has generated.
“I’m simultaneously excited by it all and overwhelmed and exhausted,” he says.

A whale of a response

How much publicity? Starting just a few days into the project, his posts to a daily blog for friends and family began to be featured on literary and art websites and talked about all over the globe. In December 2009, he was invited to speak about his work in New York.

Within days, even though he hadn’t even reached the halfway mark of the book, he was approached by an agent who almost immediately landed him a publisher.

“It started slow, but then things happened with dizzying speed,” Kish recalls. “This incredibly personal exploration of the novel suddenly had a contract and a deadline.”

He speculates that there’s three reasons for the powerful response.

“Moby-Dick is a cultural touchstone. Even people that haven’t read it, they know the whale, they know Ahab, they know Ishmael, they know that it ends tragically. It’s part of our cultural consciousness. It’s really an American myth.”
The second reason? Kish is not a formally trained artist. Yet his bold, unusual style is immediately gripping, conveying a raw emotional presence with every image. Some pieces are abstract, others intensely detailed. He used spray paint, brushes and ink, ballpoint pens, colored pencil, acrylics, collage, markers, stickers. The quickest took 30 minutes, others took up to 12 hours.

“I know if my work was to be critiqued, there are long lists of errors and completely missing blocks of an art foundation,” Kish says. “I didn’t even attempt to make my illustrations historically accurate. It’s very much about my life, my perspective – it’s influenced by video games I played in the ’80s, comic books from my childhood, covers of progressive rock albums from my dad’s basement. So it’s something that’s never been seen.”
The third reason? The sheer insanity factor of anyone taking on such a monster project.

Life-long connection

“Monster” being the key word. Kish says his lifelong passion for Herman Melville’s 1851 novel began around age 5, when he saw a film version of the story.

“The movie monsters were fictional, but this grabbed me,” he says. “This was a monster that could almost have been real.”

An illustrated children’s version of the story was his next encounter with the white whale; he read the full novel for the first time in junior high. Seven more trips through the book would pass before he started the project.

“What’s odd is that each time I read it, it’s shown me things that almost seem to echo or parallel things happening in my own life — the complexities of growing up and growing old and dealing with life,” Kish says. “In some ways, really grappling with that book requires some life experience.”

In 2009, the former English teacher and bookstore clerk heard about a man illustrating every page of another famous novel.

“I was feeling very creatively restless. I wasn’t really enjoying what I was drawing anymore,” Kish says. “I realized it had been four or five years since I read Moby-Dick, the longest absence in my life. And I thought, ‘I’m just going to jump right in. It’s a way to get me closer to the book, and this is going to keep me inspired artistically.’ And the next day I got started. That was Aug. 5, 2009.”

Two years later, on Nov. 13, Kish will share his creation with readers used to seeing his touch in the DVD, CD and young adult collections. He says he’s not sure what art will flow next for him.

“This project completely shaped and structured my life every day for a year and a half, and that was really trying,” Kish says. “I had an intense sense of relief to finally be done. But I was also really wistful. All those characters had become companions to me.”

To attend

Matt Kish presents “Moby Dick In Pictures: One Drawing For Every Page” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Dayton Metro Library, downtown branch, 215 E. Third St., Dayton. The event is free. Information: 937-463-2665, http://everypageofmobydick.blogspot.com.

Worlds Collide In The Bayou

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Malachi-Phree J. Pate – Yvette Williams – J. Miguel Conrado Rojas (photo by Scott J. Kimmins)

Long before the critically acclaimed Tony Kushner joined the pantheon of great American playwrights with his iconic “Angels in America” saga, he was raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana by musical parents (his father and mother favored woodwinds) who employed an African-American maid. Decades later, exceptionally assisted by composer Jeanine Tesori (“Thoroughly Modern Millie”), Kushner loosely chronicled his impressionable 1960s childhood by providing book and lyrics for the compelling sung-through musical “Caroline, or Change,” a thoroughly engaging, stunningly whimsical tale of personal strife, cultural shifts, race relations, and domestic economics that garnered numerous 2004 Tony Award nominations and currently receives an outstanding local premiere courtesy of the Human Race Theatre Company.

Set in Lake Charles during November and December of 1963, “Caroline” sharply centers on abrasive, divorced African-American maid Caroline Thibodeaux, a hard-working, churchgoing mother of four earning $30 per week from an emotionally scarred Jewish family consisting of recent widower Stuart, his supportive new wife Rose and their young son Noah. Idolized, befriended and innocently pestered by Noah, Caroline (splendidly portrayed by Tanesha Gary of the original Broadway cast) routinely finds solace in the family’s scorching basement while conversing with her faithful posse: a washing machine, radio and dryer. These soulfully inanimate devices provide revealing commentary on a variety of situations chipping away at Caroline’s spirit, particularly her meager finances, troubling history as a battered wife and the danger of defying her employers. Following news of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, situations swell when Rose asks Caroline to keep any spare change she finds in Noah’s pants pockets. What begins as a simple exercise ultimately sparks a clash that brings Caroline, surviving on her last nerve, to a pivotal breaking point psychologically and spiritually.

Unsurprisingly, Kushner’s musical theater debut is not without his standard polemic impulses. His insightful if prolonged libretto, greatly benefitting from its civil rights era backdrop, specifically overreaches when Rose’s outspoken father arrives for Hanukkah and eventually berates the cause of African-American non-violence. Even so, this musical character study, warmly and atmospherically directed by Scott Stoney, is not defiantly agenda-driven, marking a stylistic departure for the sociopolitical Kushner. He creates colliding worlds beyond Northerners and Southerners or whites and blacks. Most significantly, he depicts the judgmental mentality within the black community in terms of class, opportunity, religion and terminology. In turn, profound drama arises, particularly when Caroline, virtually living at a standstill at the age of 39, finds herself at odds with the bold progressiveness of her old friend-turned-college student Dotty Moffett (the wonderfully earthy Taprena Augustine) and her spirited, rebellious daughter Emmie (the absolutely radiant Yvette Williams). In a dynamic, verbally heated sequence, strikingly accented by the anthropomorphoric appearances of the Moon (the winsome Tonya Thompson) and the Bus (booming baritone Dwelvan David, who also portrays the Dryer), Dotty bluntly responds to a furious Caroline with a poetic retort recalling August Wilson: “Sorry you is sick and shame/Sorry you drinkin’ misery tea/Sorry your life ain’t what it should be.” Soon after, their wounds begin to heal in “Moon Trio,” a truly ravishing, quasi-operatic number within a melodically sublime, lyrically beguiling score flavorfully encompassing Yiddish Klezmer, blues, gospel, familiar holiday strains, and Motown-inspired R&B.

Whether humorously dreaming of Nat King Cole in “Gonna Pass Me a Law” or executing a powerhouse rendition of Caroline’s emotional aria “Lot’s Wife,” Tanesha Gary, masterly comprehending the vocally demanding complexities of the score, firmly humanizes a character some might perceive as excessively cold, prideful or standoffish. (A male equivalent would be Leo Frank, the protagonist of the underrated Jason Robert Brown/Alfred Uhry musical “Parade”.) In a refreshing departure from Tony nominee Tonya Pinkins’ imposing yet harsh portrayal, Gary doesn’t overplay Caroline’s tough rigidity, which can be intimidating and downright chilling, most notably in her climatic Act 2 exchange with Noah (the endearing, focused Brendan Plate). Caroline, suffocated by her stubbornness, may never be the life of the party, but she isn’t a woman made of stone. In every inch of Gary’s skillful performance, it is possible to connect on some level with the substantial weight of Caroline’s painful struggles and deep disenchantment which keep her from experiencing and obtaining her idea of fulfillment.

Additionally luminous within the intimate world of “Caroline” are the pleasant Brittany Campbell as the Washing Machine, amiable Adrienne Gibbons Oehlers as Rose, a convincingly detached Bruce Sabath (of the 2007 Tony Award-winning actor/musician revival of “Company”) as Stuart, the delightfully compatible Kay Bosse and K.L. Storer as Grandma and Grandpa Gellman, the vigorous Saul Caplan as Mr. Stopnick, the adorable Malachi-Phree J. Pate and J. Miguel Conrado Rojas (who winningly step into the spotlight for the infectious “Roosevelt Petrucius Coleslaw”), respectively, as Caroline’s young sons Jackie and Joe, and the terrifically magnetic Ashanti J’Aria, Kimberly Shay Hamby and Shawn Storms as the Radio. J’Aria, Hamby and Storms, supplying a lovely version of the beautifully harmonic gem “Salty Teardrops” late in Act 2, synchronize in the aisles with fetching finesse thanks to choreographer Teressa Wylie, who captures the girl group essence of the 1960s with similar pizzazz in Wright State University’s current production of “Hairspray.” Dan Gray’s attractive set effectively incorporating a turntable, Kristine Kearney’s fine period costumes, John Rensel’s expert lighting design, Nathan D. Dean’s crisp sound design evocatively summoning the outdoors, and music director Scot Woolley’s commendable offstage orchestra also heighten the production’s immense appeal.

“Change come fast and change come slow but change come Caroline Thibodeaux,” warns the Moon. Transition, in all forms, is an inescapable fact of life uniquely addressed in the remarkably relevant “Caroline, or Change,” which blew me away when I saw its off-Broadway incarnation and subsequent Broadway transfer. Without question, the Human Race has created an equally unforgettable, must see presentation.

“Caroline, or Change” continues through Nov. 20 at the Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St. Performances are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Act One: 60 minutes; Act Two: 65 minutes. A special post-show discussion will be held following the Nov. 13 performance. Tickets are $15.50-$40. For tickets or more information, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org

MARGIN CALL Opens Friday at THE NEON!

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Hello Everyone,

Opening weekend of TAKE SHELTER was perfect.  We had a couple full houses, and folks have really been liking the film.  Many thanks to all of you who attended our special Q&As with Tyler Davidson – having the chance to pose questions and gain further insight into the film was a great opportunity, and I’m so glad many of you were able to come out.

TAKE SHELTER will hold over for another week, and we’ll open a new film about the 2008 Wall Street collapse – MARGIN CALL – on Friday (the cast of this film is enough reason to see it…but the reviews are great, too).  If you still need to see THE WAY, Thursday will be your last chance to see it at THE NEON.

Synopsis for MARGIN CALL:  “This tense Wall Street thriller follows the staff of a high-powered brokerage firm in the 24 hours before the stock market crash of 2008. Featuring an all-star cast, Margin Call was one of the most talked about films of the Sundance Film Festival and was also the Opening Night selection of New Directors/New Films.” (Roadside Attractions)  Click this LINK to visit the film’s official website.

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The Ohio Liberty Film Festival is gearing up for its third year this November.  With numerous presenters and sponsors, the festival is able to make admission free to all of their screenings.  Click this LINK to see the entire line-up for various venues around town.  The following are movies that will play at THE NEON:  Friday, Nov. 11 at 3:00 – THE GREAT DICTATOR (The Charlie Chaplin classic).  Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1:30 – AS FAR AS MY FEET WILL CARRY ME. Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1:30 – PATTON.

There is only 1 film left for Living City’s VAMPIRE retrospective.  Single tickets will be available at the door before the screening for $8 each.  BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992 – 35mm) will play November 14 at 7:30.

“Help support DATV and be inspired by short films that aim to make a difference in our lives. DATV presents the MEDIA THAT MATTERS SHORT FILM SHOWCASE on Thursday, November 17th at 7:30pm…The festival features 12 jury selected short films that tackle a broad range of social issues with humor, humanity and honesty in 12 minutes or less.  Special thanks to our sponsor Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management OGDM Group – Centerville, Ohio…Proceeds from the event will benefit DATV.  DATV’s mission is to be a community forum that empowers all citizens to learn, create and express their ideas through electronic media…”  (taken from press notes)  Visit the official site for this event.  Tickets are already available at our box office for $10 each.

The rest of November is great!  With MARGIN CALL, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (the huge Sundance hit – being called “this year’s WINTER’S BONE”) and THE DESCENDANTS (an incredible film directed by Alexander Payne & starring George Clooney), I think we’ll be seeing a lot of you over the coming weeks!

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And don’t forget that we’ll be hosting holiday films on Saturdays in December…flyers are in our lobby now, and I’ll give you a full update next week.

For remaining showtimes for this week visit our site.

Hope to see you very soon,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Nov 11 – Nov 17:

MARGIN CALL (R) 1 Hrs 47 Min

Friday: 12:20, 2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40

Saturday, Sunday: 2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40

Monday – Wednesday: 2:45, 5:00, 7:20

Thursday: 2:45, 5:00

TAKE SHELTER (R) 2 Hrs

Friday – Sunday: 12:30, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50

Monday: 2:50, 5:10

Tuesday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:10, 7:30

OHIO LIBERTY FILM FEST

The Great Dictoator (125 minutes) – Fri. at 3:00

As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me (158 min) – Sat. at 1:30

Patton (172 min) – Sun. at 1:30

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (R) 2 Hrs 8 Min

Monday: 7:30

MEDIA THAT MATTERS (NR)

Thursday: 7:30

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative.  Some of these dates will change.

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Nov. 18  MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Nov. 23  THE DESCENDANTS

Dec. 16   WEEKEND

 

 

 

 

 

TBD   THE ARTIST

TBD   THE SKIN I LIVE IN

 

TBD   MELANCHOLIA

TBD   THE HEDGEHOG

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell – at DAI

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(from The Dayton Art Institute)

Norman Rockwell painted the best of America, creating indelible images of the lives, hopes, and dreams of Americans in the 20th century. Those images continue to resonate with subsequent generations, well into the 21st century.

 

"Checkers"

The Dayton Art Institute will celebrate the life and work of Norman Rockwell with the special exhibition American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell, presented by PNC. The exhibition opens Saturday, November 12 and runs through February 5, 2012.

The exhibition, organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, explores Rockwell’s unparalleled role as an iconic American storyteller. American Chronicles features 42 original artworks from the Norman Rockwell Museum’s collection, including well-known images such as Triple Self-Portrait (1960), Girl at Mirror (1954), Going and Coming (1947), and Art Critic (1955). The exhibition also includes cover sheets of all 323 Saturday Evening Post covers created by Rockwell. His work for the Post spanned a remarkable 47 years, and the artist became a household name in the process.

Expertly weaving both narrative and painterly images, Rockwell was a consummate visual storyteller with a finely honed sense of what made an image successful in the rapidly changing era of mass media. Rockwell’s unique artistic legacy, established during 65 years of painting, offers a personal chronicle of 20th century life and aspirations that has both reflected and profoundly influenced American perceptions and ideals.

"Mine America's Coal"

American Chronicles traces the evolution of Rockwell’s art and iconography throughout his career – from carefully choreographed reflections on childhood innocence in paintings such as No Swimming (1921) to powerful, consciousness-raising images like The Problem We All Live With (1964), which documented the traumatic realities of desegregation in the South.

The exhibition also includes materials from the Museum’s archives that demonstrate how Rockwell worked, from preliminary sketches, photographs, color studies, and detailed drawings to the finished painting. Commentary focusing on recurring personal themes, artistic and cultural influences, and the commercial climate that influenced Rockwell’s creative process will be woven throughout the exhibition.

 

"Going and Coming"

Related Events and Programs

The Dayton Art Institute is planning a number of special events and programs in conjunction with American Chronicles. These include a Veterans Day Program on November 11, talks, workshops, the popular Tour and Tea programs, and a special visit by Ruby Bridges, the subject of Rockwell’s painting The Problem We All Live With.

Visitors to American Chronicles will also have the opportunity to have their pictures taken in front of a life-size Saturday Evening Post cover. Props will be available for those who want to create a Rockwell-inspired scene. Photos will be posted to the museum’s Flickr and Facebook pages.

For more about related events and programs, visit www.daytonartinstitute.org/rockwell or call the museum at 937-223-5277 to request a copy of the exhibition brochure.

How To Go:

"No Swimming"

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell is on view at The Dayton Art Institute from November 12 – February 5, 2012.

Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (60+), students (18+ w/ID) and active military, $10 for youth (ages 7-17) and free for children (ages 6 & under). Museum members are free for their first visit, $10 for return visits. Exhibition tickets include admission to the museum’s permanent collection.

Exhibition audio guides, providing commentary on Norman Rockwell’s life and work, are available at the Visitor Services Desk for an additional $5.

Group tour packages are available, including docent-led tours of the exhibitions and boxed lunches from the museum’s Cafe. Group tickets (groups of 10 or more) are $13 per person. Information about group tours is available by contacting Mary Eberle, at 937-512-0152 or meberle@daytonart.org.

For more about the exhibition and other programs at The Dayton Art Institute, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org or call the museum at 937-223-5277. Be sure to also visit The Dayton Art Institute’s Facebook and Twitter pages for additional information and offers. On Twitter, look for the hashtag #rockwelldai.

Film Review – Take Shelter (A)

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Michael Shannon as Curtis

If you enjoy edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers, I suggest you stop reading right now and go see Take Shelter. In one of the best movies I have seen all year, Michael Shannon (The Runaways, Revolutionary Road) gives a truly unforgettable performance as Curtis, a husband and father who believes he is struggling with a newly formed mental illness……but is he?

Director Jeff Nichols brings to the screen a multifaceted story, reaching many levels of human emotion. Curtis deals with things we all experience: strained relationships, unemployment, and the death of loved ones. But do we handle these issues while suffering from apocalyptic hallucinations, delusions and freakish nightmares? The line between what is reality and what is in the mind is completely blurred, and Curtis digs himself into a deeper and deeper hole (literally and figuratively).

Unable to communicate with his wife, Curtis delves further into a dark place, fearing the end of the world. The anxiety and terror overcomes every aspect of his life and causes him to make major changes that no one understands. Piece by piece, Curtis’s life begins to fall apart, and his solitary journey continues into despair.

This movie is the definition of the drama genre, and I am not exaggerating when I say my heart was pounding the entire time. The tension and apprehension that these characters convey is contagious and the last scene will…… well, you will just have to find out. Rachel Gearhardt, a senior college student who saw the movie on opening night adds, “The ending was the culmination of what was a very intense and thought-provoking movie.”

Aside from the high caliber cast, the film’s original music by David Wingo was nothing short of haunting. Paired with the incredible special effects done by the same company that worked on Avatar and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this movie is a recipe for a suspenseful experience you will not soon forget.

One of the more remarkable things about production that I learned in a post-film Q&A session with producer Tyler Davidson was that this picture was shot in a mere 24 days. Davidson mentioned that the film was produced entirely out of order and some of the work days lasted an entire 24 hours. There is no way an audience could ever tell that time was such an issue because the quality of production goes above and beyond. Jonathan McNeal, owner of The Neon, who attended the Toronto Film Festival and viewed 34 films over the span of just nine days ranked it among his top three favorites. The film has been nominated for six awards and won at the Cannes Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival.

A few words of advice for when you “take shelter” at The Neon, don’t forget your gas mask.

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Between a Rock and an Eternally Hard Place

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DPO presents a musical metaphor for our technology-dependent world

When I was a kid, it wasn’t all that unusual for one kid to call down his or her wrath on another. If you were really P-O’d at Bobby or Suzy, you might say something like, “I hope you fall down a deep well full of spiders that crawl in your ears and up your nose and suck your brains right out of your skull.”

Talk about spite.

And before you think such curses are child’s play, consider this: folklore is crammed with stories of people who actually did things as bad as that…and worse. For example….

In Greek mythology, there was a god named Prometheus, who committed an unpardonable crime – he brought fire to the world. For his crime, he was bound to a rock, where a giant bird picked away at his vitals in perpetuity. (They were eternally renewed and eternally destroyed each day.) Yeeeech!

After all, what was there for the gods to be so upset about? It was fire, for Pete’s sake. It heats homes, cooks food, melts metal. All good things. But obviously the gods had a different take on it.

And a brilliant American musical composer had a different take on it as well. He saw fire as representing technology, technology that has expanded for the last 500 years and drastically changed our society. Need an example?

Not quite 50 years ago, most businesses hired top- and middle-management personnel (mostly men) and supplied each with a secretary (mostly women), who performed all the clerical duties for the manager. Then technology, in the form of room-sized computers with all their support machinery (keypunch machines, optical character readers) changed the nature of the secretaries’ clerical duties to mostly those of a data entry clerk.

Not long after, managers found computer terminals on their desks replete with word processing and spreadsheet software. And looked up to see their secretaries were no longer there. An entire segment of the country’s workforce had disappeared; the company retained one secretary in each department, gave her the title of Administrative Assistant, and tasked her with hassling the various managers’ travel itineraries. In a short while, even she would disappear.

And the managers, both male and female now and armed with the new technology, became quasi-secretaries. As time passed and computer technology became infinitely smaller and more powerful it became all too prevalent for companies to dismiss large portions of their managerial staff and double the workload of those remaining. Why? To save money and increase profits.

And because they could.

Their managerial staff each had computers of their own so small that, if the managers couldn’t get all their work done in the 60-80 hours they spent in the office each week, they could simply take their computers (and their smart phones and tablets) home with them and do their work there. On their “free” time.

The American composer to whom I referred earlier is William Bolcom, a professor of composition at the University of Michigan. And his musical portrayal of the story of Prometheus follows in the footsteps of such other brilliant composers as Ludwig von Beethoven and Franz Liszt. But with a decidedly 21-st Century twist.

“We in the West have brought ourselves to a level of technical sophistication unknown to any other era,” Bolcom wrote in 2010. “We’ve wedged our way into almost-divine capability, unlike Prometheus who as a god was born with it – but at a price. We are now all Prometheus, chained to our rock of technological dependency; there is no question that our unprecedented advance has given the world enormous benefits we have no desire of relinquishing – nor should we – but we are enjoined to see the dark side of this bounty.”

And Bolcom’s Prometheus is a dark, and challenging, work.

Its musical materials are twisted, dissonant, uneven. The pianist represents Prometheus, and the chorus sings the text of Lord Byron’s poem of the same name. The orchestra is frenzied and explosive. The music gradually becomes more poetic, a salute to the spirit of mankind. Colorful. Peaceful.

Hopeful.

Promethean Exploits
 11/18 & 11/19 at 8 pm
 Schuster Center
Click For Tickets

On Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19 at 8pm in the Schuster Center, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra presents Promethean Exploits, a program that features Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture, Bolcom’s Prometheus, Liszt’s Prometheus Symphonic Poem, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8. Guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel and the 120-plus members of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus, selected from singers from all over the Miami Valley, join Music Director Neal Gittleman and the DPO.

“When I was requested to write the present work for the same forces as Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy,” Bolcom writes, “I felt the piano part would be ideal in portraying Prometheus’ eternal agony; my Prometheus is perhaps the antithesis of the joyous mood of the Beethoven but is not devoid of hope, particularly if it points us to begin to understand our situation. This piece is dedicated to that hope.”