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Arts & Entertainment

AIN’T TOO PROUD – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS

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The electrifying, new smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one.

Nominated for 12 Tony Awards®, AIN’T TOO PROUD tells the thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal, as the group’s personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest in America.

The unforgettable story of this legendary quintet is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and so many more.

Written by three-time Obie Award winner Dominique Morisseau, directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) and featuring the Tony-winning choreography of Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, On Your Feet!), AIN’T TOO PROUD launches their first national tour to over 50 cities across America.

McCoy on Movies: The Flash

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“All right … Let’s get out there and revive a cinematic universe!” Credit: © 2023 Warner Bros. Pictures
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 
 
DIRECTOR: Andy Muschietti

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Ron Livington, Michael Shannon, Sasha Calle, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Ben Affleck … And some other special guests.

 

THE BACK STORY: Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is a member of the Justice League, the super-powered team of heroes consisting of himself, the cybernetic Victor Stone a.k.a. Cyborg, Diana Prince a.k.a. Wonder Woman, Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman, Arthur Curry a.k.a. the Atlean known as Aquaman and Clark Kent a.k.a. Kal-El a.k.a Superman. While each has suffered their own traumas, they have each respectively come to accept it, move on and help save the world from numerous threats.
But what would the world be like if they could undo that trauma? Well, in the case of Barry, he discovers that he just might be able to do so.
You see, while in the middle of another superhero quest, Allen discovers that, when fully charged, he can run so fast he can actually travel back in time. That gives the opportunity he’s always wanted: To save his deceased mom (Maribel Verdú) from her murder/fatal accident (it’s never really explained what happened, but you can draw your own conclusion) and clear his father (Ron Livingston) in the process.
Unfortunately for Barry, he is about to learn that messing with the space-time continuum comes with some serious consequences just like Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) warned him … And his adventure with Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) – and Barry Allen (Miller again) is about to prove with dire consequences.
 

 

THE REVIEW: Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics, has had one heck of a time getting there superhero universe off the ground. For every one good movie or TV show they make – Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn & The Birds of Prey, Peacemaker, for example – they seem to make another – Black Adam, Batman vs. Superman, the original cut of Justice League that eradicates any momentum they have. Throw in the fact six actors have played Batman since 1989 (Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Affleck and Robert Pattison) and they’ve all existed in their own worlds (until now) and the lack of a comprehensive plan has made a mess of things. In turn, it’s allowed the competition – Marvel, for those who aren’t good at reading between the lines – to repeatedly do this to them with every release.
What THE FLASH does well, however, is what many of its DC predecessors have not: (1) Develop its lead character (who admittedly at times almost does feel like he is playing second fiddle in their own movie); (2) Tell a story that is compelling due to its depth with visuals that mostly enhance versus detract away from it and (3) Find its emotional center without forcing or shoehorning it in as an afterthought. In turn, the supporting characters actually help enhance the overall quality as opposed to taking away from it and being better than the lead (see Brosnan, Pierce in the aforementioned Black Adam).
Love or hate Ezra Miller for its somewhat polarizing performance in Justice League and/or all his away from a movie set antics, about 25/30 minutes or so into the film, everything just seems to click. He is able to make all of the character’s antics transition and make you forget about him and instead focus on the character, his motivations, flaws and strengths. While fans can (and likely will) continue to debate whether or not he should be recast in future films, this performance is one Miller can truly call their own (Note: Miller uses the they/them/theirs pronouns). Warner Bros. has done a very clever campaign by minimizing Miller in the trailers leading up to the film, but it’s likely that once people see it, most of the harsh fan boy population will just be happy with the finished result enough to cool down.
Is the film perfect? No. Keaton owns all of his moments as the film at times feels more like “The Flash and the Justice League” and is a definite way to set up future DC Multiverse films since the previous ones have, well, failed to do so. Likewise, some of the CGI sequences are very noticeable for their enhancements; if you had a problem with the last two to three Marvel live action releases, be prepared to be taken out of scenes with some of the motions here. That notwithstanding, director Andy Muschietti does bring a visual style that is (1) effective and (2) much needed to make the film work as a whole. Likewise, he and his team are able to provide just the right amount of humor true to what Miller’s take on the character does without being too corny too often and he is able to center the story to keep it from feeling like a series of random events.
Where the DC Cinematic Universe goes from here remains to be seen; if THE FLASH is any indication, however, it seems to finally be finding its footing to go alongside aforementioned The Peacemaker HBO series in moving away from cartoon-ish pulp to grittier fare. They still need to find some villains other than Lex Luthor, Joker, Penguin and General Zod to beef up and raise the stakes, but again, THE FLASH shows things are improving. And in a world where Wonder Woman 1984 exists, that is a very good thing indeed.
The final verdict? Despite a star that has been as problematic as the entire DC Comics cinematic universe has been to date, THE FLASH is the most complete Warner Bros. comic book-based adventure in quite some time. Hopefully, it is a quick step in the right direction … And not a flash in the superhero pan.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

 

 

 

McCoy on Movies: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

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Director Steven Caple, Jr., Anthony Ramos and Pete Davidson finally help Transformers franchise rise to the occasion with latest entry

“PETA is gonna have problem with this, right?!” Cheetor (voiced by Tongayi Chirisa) gets up close and personal with Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson) as Arcee (voiced by Liza Koshy) looks on in a scene from TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS. Credit: © 2023 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. 
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 
 
DIRECTOR: Steven Caple, Jr.

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Colman Domingo, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez and the voices of Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez,  Cristo Fernández, Tobe Nwigwe and Tongayi Chirisa 

 

THE BACK STORY: Set in 1994 long before Shia LeBeouf’s Sam Witwicky would ever enter the picture, TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS finds former U.S. Army private Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) trying his best to do right by his family. His hardworking mother (Luna Lauren Velez) is doing the best she can to provide while his 11 year-old brother (Dean Scott Vazquez), whose sickle cell anemia is causing him all sorts of complications.
Not finding opportunities to make the money – or C.R.E.A.M. in accordance with the film’s hip-hop heavy soundtrack – necessary legally, Noah takes a gig to steal a Porsche from a local parking garage. But this is no ordinary Porsche.
That Porsche is Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), one of several Autobots living on Earth after the destruction of their home planet Cybertron. Led by Optimus Prime, (voiced by longtime Transformers mainstay Peter Cullen) the Autobots are stuck with no way home since the one thing they need – a key – has been lost forever … Or so they think.
You see, that key was taken and hidden centuries ago by robot gorilla Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), leader of the Maximals, robots who took on animal form instead of cars like the Autobots. But like the Autobots, the Maximals have a natural enemy: The Predacons, a race of robots led by the aptly-named Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage) that answer to Omnicron (voiced by Colman Domingo of Fear the Walking Dead fame). Why is that important? Because Omnicron is the Transformers equivalent of the Death Star in Star Wars and Galactus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: A massive villain who consumes planets – like the Maximals home world – to sustain himself.
So … What happens when aspiring museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) inadvertently makes a discovery that threatens life on Earth and every other planet in the galaxy? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.
THE REVIEW: As a kid, I LOVED Transformers as an animated series. I LOVED original animated adventure, The Transformers: The Movie. I had several of the toys – I have never gotten over my Optimus Prime getting broken in elementary school by another kid nor never getting the Dinobots – comic books and more. So, in 2007, when I heard they were making a live action Transformers movie, I was excited.
Then I saw it … And it absolutely sucked. As did the first sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the two hip-hop robots I joked about on my second stand-up album, Remarkable. And if you think I had similar thoughts about the 2011 sequel Transformers: Dark of the Moon, you’d be right. That’s when I tapped out. Sure, I caught a few minutes of the latter sequels on cable in recent years, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch them.
Needless to say, I walked into the latest sequel – which is actually a prequel to the first live-action film but a sequel to 2018’s prequel Bumblebee (that film was set in 1987, FYI) – with the lowest of low expectations. I came prepared to hate it, to talk about Michael Bay’s love of explosions, the corny jokes and dumb human characters that are inconsequential to all the Battlebots-style goofy sequences on the screen in front of me.
Well, I hate to admit this, but here it goes … I actually liked TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS … And many audiences will, too.
It only took them several tries, but Paramount Pictures has finally turned out a Transformers movie where the story mostly makes sense, the jokes aren’t cringe-inducing (and dare I say, in a few instances, smart) and the human characters are actually interesting. Even more astounding? The action sequences work and there are is a BIG surprise that could signal the fix of something else much maligned 1980s kids will likely let out an audible gasp in response to it.
I’m not saying RISE is perfect. What I am saying, however, is that this film is enjoyable as everything pretty much works more than it doesn’t. Why? The film inserts the things that many of the others were lacking: Some intelligence and genuine emotion combined with visuals that pop and sequences that bring it all home.
Love him or hate him, Davidson has figured out who he is and is a perfect fit as Mirage and a much-needed balance from the wet blanket of a leader that has defined Optimus Prime throughout the series. Perlman, however, is able to bring some less-depressing leadership qualities to Optimus Primal, teaching the Autobot he was named after a thing or two in the process.
Likewise, Ramos and Fishback bring some much needed humanity (pun intended) to their roles, a quality that has been so forced throughout the Transformers live action franchise it’s not even funny (because it never was). Ramos is infinitely relatable as a character, which makes his journey interesting, a promise he delivers on with a solid performance. Likewise, Fishback’s character is smart but not too smart for the room to the point it’s annoying or silly, just effective and inspiration since the majority of women in this series well … Haven’t exactly been the given the best roles.
While one would be tempted to give credit to Michael Bay for stepping out of the director’s chair and focusing on actors right for the roles instead of familiar names and/or pretty faces, that would simply be too easy and frankly rude. For in the case of director Steven Caple, Jr., you can tell he was like many youths growing up in the 80s and 90s: An actual Transformers fan who saw great potential for the lack action films but knew how important it was to finally do them justice, striking the right balance between humorous and heartfelt as well as intense and interesting.
Given the implications of the film, it remains to be seen where exactly the franchise goes from here. But in much the same fashion that Warner Bros./D.C. is hoping James Gunn can get its comic book movie franchise finally headed in the right, consistent direction, if this is any indication of what’s next, there might be hope yet this series might finally deliver more than meets the eye since what had been previously seen wasn’t worth it.
But for those craving an entertaining Transformers movie, RISE OF THE BEASTS is far more fun than you’d ever expect.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

 

 

 

McCoy on Movies: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

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“Hey girl … Just hangin’ out???” Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) checks in on his surprise visitor Spider-Gwen a.k.a. Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) in a scene from SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. Credit: © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 
DIRECTOR: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni with Daniel Kaluuya and Oscar Isaac

 
THE BACK STORY: Fifteen year-old Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) has a lot going on for him. He’s already getting chances like attending Princeton University, his father (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry) is on the verge of getting promoted to police captain, his mother (Luna Lauren Velez) loves him to death and oh yeah – he’s spent the last year+ serving as Brooklyn’s own friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Unfortunately, that last part is about to cause him – and a bunch of other people – a LOT of trouble. Why? Because the incident that saved his universe the last time he was facing someone with villainous plans has created a new, more dangerous villain: The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), a man who, thanks to that super collider that blew up, has turned to a life of crime and seeks revenge on Miles for what he inadvertently made him.
But while Miles may think of The Spot as a “villain of the week,” there’s another group of people – Spider-powered people, as it turns out – that know he is a dangerous anomaly that needs to be stopped. So when Miles old friend Spider-Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) shows up out of the blue, he quickly learns that it’s not just a social visit.
It’s time to go Across the Spider-Verse.
THE REVIEW: In short, to use a phrase the young people say, SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, is “dope AF (and NO, I shan’t explain those last two letters, nor the word ‘shan’t!).
The animation in the film is unlike anything you’ve ever seen and truly brings the characters to life, which is no small feat considering the fact that save for some very smart exceptions, all of them are animated. The Spider-Verse comes alive in each setting the film travels across in its 2 hour and 15 minute runtime, which feels short when the film gets to its Avengers: Infinity War-like ending.
The fact the film is visually stimulating is enhanced by the stellar vocal performances of the film’s cast and smart, engaging pacing/storytelling presented by its trio of directors. Like the film that proceeded it, ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE tells engaging stories of parents and children, responsibility, the struggle to deal with loss and grief and accepting your fate versus defining it for one’s self. Throw in the fact the film is able to hit measures of diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that is: (1) Respectful of the various cultures it showcases in a way that is (2) Smart (3) Engaging and (4) Funny in such a way it’s (5) sure to upset the “anti-woke”/keep superheroes male and white crowd and you have an early contender for not only Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards – an honor it’s predecessor has already taken home – but Best Picture, period.
With so many Spider-Man movies already existing in the 21 years Sony Pictures has owned the cinematic rights to the character, one could be forgiven for thinking there’s not possibly anything left that could be compelling enough to see on screen. ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE proves that idea wrong in spades, owning the screen as its own unique-yet-stil-connected-to-everything-else-Marvel entity in the process. From the Easter eggs hidden for long-standing Spider-Man fans, cameo appearances to incorporation of other adventures in the character’s two decades’ plus on screen, the film is both homage to those that have come before it and its own being. That is no easy feat to pull off but one the film does excellently from start to finish much to what most certainly will be Spider-Man fans’ delight.
To say more would be to spoil all the fun – and ACROS THE SPIDER-VERSE might just be the most fun you’ll have at the movies all summer.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
 

 

 

 

 

Hedda Gabler Opens This Weekend

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This Broadway adaptation of Ibsen’s timeless drama presents a sympathetic, yet striking and powerful Hedda in the classic tale of her struggle to find a means of escape from a loveless, ordinary existence. Returning from her honeymoon, Hedda finds herself already bored of her husband, and longing for the days when she was free to exercise her wild and independent whims. With the return of an old flame and a proposition from an amorous judge, she begins a dangerous game, amusing herself by manipulating and destroying everyone around her in an attempt to regain control of her life.

Artist Call for 2D or 3D Wall Art For UD’s Roger Glass Center for the Arts

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The University of Dayton (UD), supported by The Contemporary Dayton (The Co), is seeking submissions for qualifications from artists to create new large-scale 2D or 3D wall work OR submit existing work for UD’s new performing and visual arts center, The Roger Glass Center for the Arts. There are 4 locations identified for commissioned workArtists interested in contributing to the new performing and visual arts center now have until July 1, 2023, to submit their application, available at codayton.org/events/calls-for-entry.

The Co is administering the RFQ through their ArtSource program, providing consultation, commissions, and installation of artist’s work for local business and non-profit organizations. The University of Dayton Roger Glass Center for the Arts seeks to bring together the vibrant artistic community and provide a space that nurtures creativity and innovation. The Center is seeking both large-scale 2D and 3D artwork, showcasing the talents of local and national artists.

Interested artists can choose to create new large-scale 2D or 3D wall works specifically for the Roger Glass Center for the Arts or submit existing works that align with the center’s vision. The center offers four locations for commissioned works, providing artists with a range of possibilities to make their artistic mark.

Eligibility

• Artists must be at least 18 years old.
• Must live (or have lived) in the Dayton Area
• UD Faculty and Alumni are encouraged to apply.
• Artists must have documented experience
completing comparable projects on time and on budget.
• Artists must have 3 references (names and contact information required)
• Members of The Committee are ineligible to apply.

RFQ Selection Criteria

• RFQs will be blind-juried (artist’s names will be hidden).
• Quality and scale of past work.
• Thoughtful, understandable, and creative vision of Concept Document.
Phase II: Final Designs

Semi-finalist Artists will be selected to submit a final design. Semi-finalists will also be invited to a site visit and tour to ask questions to inform the artwork proposal.

TIMELINE:

RFQ SUBMISSION DEADLINE  July 1, 2023

SEMI-FINALIST NOTIFICATION July 2023

SEMI-FINALIST SUBMISSION DEADLINE August 2023

WINNING DESIGN AWARDS: $2,500-$7,500 per location including all materials

PRODUCTION September-October, 2023

INSTALLATION & EVENT October 2023

For more information about the Roger Glass Center for the Arts and to access the RFQ guidelines, please visit codayton.org/events/calls-for-entry.

Actors Theatre Fairborn Presents: Weekend Comedy

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Written by Jean and Bob Bobrick and directed by Don Campbell, “Weekend Comedy” follows an older couple and a younger couple who find that they have accidentally booked the same cottage for the same three day weekend. They decide to try to make the best of it and share the rental. We see the couples deal with the comedic conflicts of a generational divide.

Dayton Filmmakers Gear Up For Next Film

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Meet Michael Box & Patrick Bertram Hague – the founders of EchoEterna.  These two wizards are going to make the next big film right here in Dayton, Ohio.  I had a chance to chat with these intelligent and creative people, and between our musings about music and movie trivia, raising kids, and favorite bourbons, we finally got around to the nuts and bolts of our conversation – their film. The movie is a dramatic sci-fi feature in which renegade musicians navigate an illegal underground music scene, set in a near-future society where creative freedom is monitored by a restrictive authority class.

Q: How did you come up with the movie name of SpeakEasy?

Michael: I can’t remember who thought of it, but the way the characters in our story have to play in underground, illegal locations, hiding their equipment, and risking everything reminded us of Prohibition Era bootleggers. The title of SpeakEasy was with us almost as soon as our first words were put on paper. 

Q: Speaking of names – what’s the story and significance of the name of your Production Company, EchoEterna?

Patrick: So, EchoEterna is a very very subtle reference to our first project, a sci-fi film. The story contains cryptic references to time travel, linked to a top-secret experiment with the codename “EchoEterna”. 

We’ve always loved the phrase, and it only made sense to adopt it as the name of our company. It feels fitting in ways I’m not sure I know how to articulate. Lol. You know– it’s a reference to our humble beginnings, but it also feels like an apt representation of the types of films we want to make. 

Q: Where did you two meet?

Michael: We met 20+ years ago at a Springboro church. Pat was a drummer in the adult service and the evening youth service. The band needed a bass player, so I put down my electric guitar and picked up a bass. For the next five years, we played almost every week together.

Patrick: This will sound odd, but we actually met at church. In another lifetime, Mike and I were in a worship band that ended up becoming pretty popular in the Midwest and a few other areas. I was a dumb teenager who happened to be pretty good on the drums, and Mike was a seasoned musician who knew his way around the bass guitar. Together, I can’t help but admit: we made a pretty sick rhythm section. We gigged around quite a bit with the band, playing retreats and youth events on a regular basis. 

Q: Did you become interested in filmmaking together or did you each already have an interest?

Michael: I’ve been a music and movie nerd for as long as I can remember. I had dreamed of being a writer for Rolling Stone; traveling with bands and writing about our misadventures. When the movie, Almost Famous, came out, I connected with it instantly. Pat was working on a script and had hit a roadblock. He asked if I’d be interested in helping. I just thought it was a chance to help a friend. I never thought it would spark my interest in filmmaking, but once we started shooting, I was hooked. 

Patrick: Before becoming filmmakers, we would always geek out and bond over movies and dystopian sci-fi novels. Separately, we both wrote fictional and sometimes non-fiction pieces in our own time, believing we were potentially capable of writing books or in-depth articles about music and film. Around the fall of 2009, I eventually had a realization that the ‘novel’ I thought I was writing was better suited as a screenplay. Not realizing that you could download software to format a screenplay, I formatted one myself in Word (yes, it was a F-ing nightmare). It was a 250-page, one-hundred million-dollar, bloated disaster of a story, but I wrote it nonetheless. It didn’t take a genius to tell me that I needed help, and Mike was the most obvious candidate to bring on board and fix the mess I made. To this day,

I am super proud of the work we put in (on our own time), and ultimately it became the basis on which we made our first feature film– One that we funded entirely on our own and shot on old-school Kodak 16mm film stock.

 

Q: You guys are working on literally everything about this movie aren’t you?  From producing to directing to raising funds and even to writing the music – yes?

Michael: Yeah, it is ambitious and exhausting, but we’ve always had a DIY way to our process. Sometimes that works well, sometimes we realize we need to ask for help. But in the end, I’m confident in our vision and our skills. So I wouldn’t really want it any other way

Patrick: Yes, to an extent. As for the production, we are the top dogs. And now we actually have ‘employees’ so there’s been a slight learning curve to delegation and being bosses (as much as I hate being a boss). So we’re writing and producing the thing, I’m directing and shooting it, and we are for sure the guys who are venturing out and raising the funds. That being said, we have SO many incredible friends and family members who are getting involved and pulling strings behind the scenes. Maybe even things that will never be accounted for, or credited in the film. It has a become a living, breathing organism at this point; one that Mike and I might not even be able to fully control. And that excites us. As weird as it sounds, that’s kind of the dream, right? As for the music, I would say we’re writing A LOT of the music ourselves, and overseeing some of it. We’ve pulled musicians from old bands, current bands, siblings, cousins– ANYONE who gets what we’re doing who can add to the vibe we’re attempting to cultivate. Similar to the ‘film collective’ we hope to create through EchoEterna, the songs and score for ‘SpeakEasy’ will definitely be a (hopefully) beautiful collage of our ideas mixed with the ideas of genuinely talented folks who we’ve worked with or encountered over the years. 

 

Q: How hard has it been to find actors who actually can play music or musicians who can actually act?

Michael: WEIRDLY, two of our shortlisted actors responded to our casting call almost immediately. That experience set us up to believe it was going to be easy. Excuse me while I laugh my ass off… It’s been VERY. DIFFICULT.

Patrick: Obviously, we don’t have the budget to hire name actors who we can pay to be given lessons on their characters’ respective instruments, and then pay to spend weeks or months of rehearsal time to make sure they operate as a BAND, let alone how they operate as CHARACTERS who need to seem as if they’ve been in a band together for years. Bottom line: casting this project has been an interesting ride, and there were certainly times when we’d stay up late with a bottle of bourbon wondering if it was even possible. Fortunately, we are beyond happy with our shortlisted actors for the main band. Super happy with their dedication and progress so far.

These two are serious, talented, and motivated filmmakers.  They are working on funding the project (along with everything else that goes into this) – not to mention they both have families and full-time gigs  (Patrick is the drummer in the popular Dream-Pop band MOIRA and Michael is a supervisor at Mary Haven Youth Center, a division of the Warren County Juvenile Court).  One question I forgot to ask: do they ever sleep?

For more information on the film, how to get involved, how to invest or just to follow their great journey, check out 

Instagram: @echoeterna

FaceBook: EchoEterna Productions, LLC

EchoEterna.com 

[email protected]

 

PS:  Coming soon – Casting in Dayton!  Follow  FB & Instagram for updated information.

Nate Bargatze: The Be Funny Tour

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Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, stand-up comedian NATE BARGATZE is selling out shows across the world.

In July 2020, the comedian teamed up with All Things Comedy to release his weekly podcast, “Nateland.” The world is a crazy place and there’s plenty of podcasts out there tackling the tough issues. However, “Nateland” tackles the meaningless issues that we face day-to-day to give listeners a much-needed mental break from fighting the good fight. New episodes release Wednesdays, with video available on Nate’s YouTube channel and audio available everywhere you get podcasts.

Nate followed in the showbiz footsteps of his dad, a former clown turned world-class magician, whose influence is seen on Nate’s 2015 debut special Full Time Magic and his debut album Yelled at By a Clown. Nate’s half-hour Netflix special The Standups premiered on July 4, 2017. In March 2019, Nate’s first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid premiered globally with rave reviews, and recently released his highly anticipated second special for the streaming platform, The Greatest Average American on March 18, 2021.

Bargatze’s comedy is both clean and relatable, evident in his 10 appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He also appeared on “Conan” four times, was a recurring guest on “@midnight,” and had his own “Comedy Central Presents” in 2011. Off-screen, Nate was part of Jimmy Fallon’s Clean-Cut Comedy Tour, and has done live shows for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait five times. In addition to touring the country as a headliner, Nate toured in arenas with Chris Rock on his 2017 Total Blackout Tour. He regularly performs at Bonnaroo, SXSW, Oddball Comedy Festival, Sasquatch, Clusterfest, and the JFL Montreal Comedy Festival, where he’s received critical acclaim multiple years in a row.

Nate was featured as one of Esquire‘s “Best New Comedians” by Jim Gaffigan, one of Marc Maron’s “Comedians to Watch” in Rolling Stone, one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch” for 2015, and as #1 on Vulture‘s “50 Comedians You Should Know” in 2015. His debut one-hour special, Full Time Magic, premiered on Comedy Central that spring, followed by his debut album, Yelled at by a Clown, which reached #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and remained on Billboard’s Top Ten Comedy Charts for weeks.

FilmDayton’s Small Role in Monica, Opening Today At The Neon

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As the Dayton Film Commissioner, our job at FilmDayton is to help films get made here.  We’ll get the call when a production team needs assistance, often with locations.

In June of 2021 we got one of those calls from a location scout on behalf of Varient Entertainment LLC. about a movie that would be filming in the area and needed assistance securing locations and coverage from the local sheriffs office for some street scenes.

In August of 2021 Variant used a room at the Red Horse Motel on Dixie Drive and some county roads in the Moraine area, specifically Diamond Mill Rd,  Manning and Weaver Roads to film scenes for the movie.

While the majority of this project was filmed in Cincinnati, getting several scenes filmed in the Dayton area is always a win, as we are able to show the cast and crew our local hospitality. Speaking of local, several locals were hired to work on this film   The Moraine Fire Department also worked with the production team, offering them space for hair and make up for the actors.

Another Dayton connection for this film, the co-star of the film, Trace Lysette, grew up in Dayton, running track athlete at Colonel White High School.  In an interview with Dayton Daily News, she recalled seeing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at The Neon as a teenager.

The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2022, Monica opens at The Neon today,  Friday May 19th  and the  screening at 7:15 will feature a special conversation with the lead actress!  The film synopsis is “a woman returns home to care for her ailing mother who she hasn’t seen in years in this tender portrait of family, forgiveness, and acceptance.”

Showtimes at The Neon:
Fri, Sat, Sun (May 19-21)
1:15, 4:15, 7:15
Mon, Tue, Wed (May 22-24)
3:30, 7:15
Thu (May 25)
3:30
The film will open at the Little Art Theater in Yellow Spring June 2nd.

 

Escape to Margaritaville at La Comedia

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Searching for your lost shaker of salt? Set your mind to island time, and join us for Escape to Margaritaville! It’s a is a place where people come to get away from it all – and stay to find something they never expected. It’s also where a part-time bartender, part-time singer, and full-time charmer thinks he’s got life all figured out until a beautiful career-minded tourist from Ohio steals his heart and makes him question everything.

This fun and laid-back musical featuring the most loved hits from Jimmy Buffett encourages audiences to sit back, relax and remember “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”

Features such Buffett classics such as: “Cheeseburger In Paradise,” “Fins,” Volcano,” “One Particular Harbor” and many more!

Inspired by “The Moth” – May Story Slam

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True Stories! Real Dayton!
Inspired by “The Moth”, an inclusive performance event that builds community!
This open mic event hosts some of Dayton’s best tellers.
Doors at 6:30
Stories start at 7:00
Storytellers are encouraged to prepare a 5-minute story relating to the theme and place their name in the hat. Tellers are drawn at random.
$5.00 in advance. Bring a story and bring a friend. Best story of the night wins $50 and a guaranteed spot at the next month’s Slam as well as a slot at our June GrandSlam.
Tickets will be $10 at the door if available and there is a 2 item minimum for all guests in the showroom.

Free Admission For Moms at DAI Sunday

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Mother’s Day is tomorrow and The Dayton Art Institute  has an extraordinary treat from the museum for all the amazing moms out there!

Bring your mom to the museum this Sunday, May 14th, as they extend our heartfelt appreciation to mothers everywhere with FREE admission for all moms! It’s their way of saying “thank you” for the love, care, and endless support you provide.The DAI  invite you to immerse yourselves in a world of inspiration, where art and love intersect. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to make your Mother’s Day truly special. Spread the word and invite your friends to join the celebration!

Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, Ohio 45405

Wednesday 11 AM – 5 PM
Thursday 11 AM – 8 PM
Friday 11 AM – 5 PM
Saturday 11 AM – 5 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 5 PM

Admission:
Adults: $15
Seniors (60+), Active Military, Groups (10 or more): $10
College Students (18+ with ID) & Youth (ages 7-17): $5
Children (ages 6 & younger): Free
Museum Members: Free

A Walk in the ‘GARDEN’ for TheatreLab.

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Mackensie King Directs ‘Secret Garden.’

You all know how much I love these interviews with local leaders in the arts. This time around, I was thrilled to catch up with Mackensie King of TheatreLab Dayton. They are bringing the classic ‘The Secret Garden’ to life at the Victoria this weekend. As a former elementary school teacher, I cant ell you, the story alone is magic. My interview with Mackensie went something like this.

JS: Hi Mackensie! How exciting to see ‘The Secret Garden’ coming to life here is Dayton. What made you choose this story?

MK: Well, first of all…hi Josh! Thanks for highlighting the arts in Dayton!! The Secret Garden is a story that transcends generations. It’s still taught in schools around the world and there is something so incredibly special about putting up something that is familiar to so many. And I mean the score… who doesn’t love a classical musical with sweeping Melodies?

JS: Right….if you haven’t heard the music folks…WOW! Just gorgeous! And although it is a world-renowned tale, let people know what the story is about.

MK: Ok. The musical is like the book but it strays from that path. It follows Mary Lennox, after suddenly losing her parents. She is taken to live with her uncle who’s wife also passed, and we watch this family deal with grief and learning to love and live again.

JS: And even though it has that sad overtone, there is so much to love about the characters and their hope fiiled plight! What do you feel people can expect from your production?

‘Secret Garden’ comes to Victoria.

MK: To start the music is stunning. All of the actors on stage have stunning voices and these tunes will stick with you. This show while classical, has the feel of a spectacle because of the large sets, incredible light and remarkable costumes.

JS: I know folks who truly think this musical is one of the greatest, ever….yet, so many folks have not seen it. It’s magical!

MK: It really is!

JS: So, tell us about you. Your involvement in the arts!

MK: Well let’s see I’m a Libra who loves reading… but seriously- I’ve been with TheatreLab since it’s inception in a multitude of different roles, but I am the current Artistic Director. I’ve directed many shows for TheatreLab, while also taking the stage whenever I get the chance!

JS: I think all theater people should try their hand at each and every part. I know you can sing young lady!! So, what is it that pulls you toward directing?

MK: I love the collaboration it allows. You really get to sit with the actors and come to know them through the process. Then we can take those things and apply them to the show so that the show has everyone’s prints all over it. I love when it comes together and I can sit back and see each persons ideas grow together into a beautiful final product!

JS: Yes, it’s all about the final product, and what folks walk away feeling. What do you hope people take from ‘The Secret Garden?‘

MK: After experiencing the loss of one of my best friends this year, this show has helped me look at grief in a completely new light. I hope the audience can take away that no matter how dark things can seem, there is hope. That we as humans can all at our core understand loss at some point and that if we talk about our sadness with others, we will feel a little less alone.

Classic Tale comes to Life this Weekend.

JS: That is the magic of live theater…feeling like you are part of something that can change you for the better!! What’s next at TL?

MK: We have a busy summer filled with classes, camps and more! Then in September, we will be right back at the Victoria Theatre with ‘The Producers!’

JS: GET OUT!!! I love ‘The Producers!’ I know you are all busy, busy with this weekend’s performances….anything else you want to add?

MK: Support local theatre!

JS: Bravo to that and ‘BREAK THEM LEGS!’ Thanks for meeting me Mackensie! And to see the show? What do folks need to know?

MK: The show runs May 12-13th at The Victoria Theatre. Ticket prices start as low as 18 dollars and can be found at theatrelabdayton.org.

JS: Thanks again!!

 

Father-son duo Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez re-release ‘The Way’.

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“The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world.

“The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey.

In 2010 Estevez and Sheen began a bus tour to promote the film. FilmDayton and the Dayton Art Institute helped bring them to Dayton!

Now after a two-year journey to gain back the rights to The Way, Emilio Estevez has arranged with Fathom Events to re-release the film nationwide on May 16 on about 800 screens or more. The effort has led to not only a chance to dust off a 12-year old film, but also to start progress on a sequel.

Estevez says in an interview with Deadline says  “This has always been a very special movie to me. This has grown from a passion project into something else. This is a second bite at the apple, which is rare for a movie,” Estevez said. “It’s a movie that is now more of its time than when we made it. Going through and coming out of Covid, people want to get out and travel again, see the world and be less isolated.”

Fathom Events is hosting the special screening on May 16th at 7pm here at the Regal Fairfield Commons.  You can buy tickets online for $15.

 

Elvis: The Concert of Kings

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Experience the legendary power and presence of music’s greatest icon, Elvis Presley, in the world premiere concert tour called The Three Elvis’s. Featuring three of the world’s finest Elvis tribute performers, the evening promises to leave audiences “all shook up” by the spot-on look, vocals and charisma brought to life in this amazing salute to the King. From the electrifying early years of the 1950s to the stunning sex-symbol era of the 1960s to the powerful Las Vegas years of the 1970s, you won’t believe your eyes and ears. The show is musically orchestrated to perfection by the talented and award-winning Royal Tribute Band and hosted by Charles Stone, Elvis Presley’s friend and tour director from 1970 – 1977. Even critics are raving, “this is as close as it gets!” ELVIS HAS NOT LEFT THE BUILDING!