Ballet BC, The Statement Choreography by Crystal Pite One of the most mesmerizing and engaging performances I've seen recently. There are plenty of productions that are plays with dance or plays with music, where a character sings a song or there is a dance scene integrated into the plot. But I've never seen a dance that is also a play. "The Statement" feels like just that. There is no music, except for some background noise interludes. Instead, there are voiceovers for each of the 4 dancers on stage. The dancers are acting out the plot but in an exaggerated way that shows their emotions and reactions to each other. The play felt very Sartrean or Orwellian, with no character names or specific details – it is the story of a situation in a nameless corporation, a dystopian world, or an authoritarian society. The subtle and coordinated movements of the dancers is incredible. As the voiceover loops and distorts and escalates, the speed of the dancers' movements increases and decreases to match. I particularly enjoyed watching from so far above the stage (our seats were in the last row of the balcony, from where you can almost imagine sky diving down to the stage); we could see each dancer's movements but also the full scene together, like a diaorama with miniature people moving in an automated, synchronized rhythm. Conrad Tao & Caleb Teicher, Rhapsody in Blue Choreography by Caleb Teicher Music performed by Conrad Tao I chose this program because of Caleb Teicher – at this point I'm basically a groupie. I think they are one of the most talented and enjoyable tap dancers to watch. But we had not seen Conrad Tao before, and the two together are an amazing duo. Teicher's performances are always so joyful and full of humor, and you can't go wrong with "Rhapsody in Blue." Gibney Company, OH COURAGE! Choreography by Sonya Tayeh Music written & performed by The Bengsons The finale of a program is often the strongest piece, and yet... there were only a handful of interesting moments here. I found my mind wandering throughout. Some of the moves in this performance were literally the typical modern dance choreography that I actively try to avoid (ie, rolling on the floor). Two of the songs, "Dying" and "Shake These Bones" (from The Bengsons), and the choreography for those portions, were very good and made me think about how the music is so important for dance – and yet, in the first piece we saw (see above) there was no music and it was far more engaging than anything in this piece. New York City Center This retrospective of Doris Day's life falls somewhere in between a high school project and a community theater production that got lucky with their star. Tiffan Borelli sings well, and she sings a few of Day's song very well, but unfortunately it's not enough to support the bland and simplistic writing in between the songs. The premise is that Day has been asked to do the retrospective for an animal charity fundraiser, and the producers of the event have selected "photo surprises" for her to react to throughout – an unnecessary conceit.
The takeaway is that Day had a not-so-great life being bullied and managed by men, mostly by her many husbands. She never did learn her lesson; she kept marrying and kept relinquishing control of her career and her life. Day also suffered from panic attacks which the show depicts, but these moments are confusing and almost seem like Borelli forgot her lines. The second half of the show focuses on Day's close friendship with Rock Hudson, one of her many famous costars, but it does a poor job of alluding to Hudson's illness (he died of AIDS-related complications) by playing a hospital monitor noise in the background of a few scenes. The first time this happened I literally thought the fire alarm was going off in the theater. Oddly, the final scene of the play is Day singing to Hudson as he dies in his sleep (definitely not what happened). There was an awkward pause before the audience realized this was the end. A very depressing note to end on, but we clapped nonetheless. Emerging Artists Theater, 28th Street Theater (TADA) Jocelyn Boh's newest play details a day in the life of West African hair braiders in Harlem. The ensemble cast is excellent. First we meet Jaja's daughter, Marie (Dominique Thorne), as she opens the shop in the morning. Jaja won't be coming in to work because she's going to get married – partially for a green card, but she also seems to have a genuine relationship with her fiancé. As the other braiders trickle in, along with customers throughout the day (walk-ins and regulars from all walks of life), we see their dynamic with each other and learn about their lives, motivations, and dreams.
We're treated to an education on hair braiding styles even before the curtains open: some of the many styles and techniques are displayed on the curtain, illustrating the intricate work these women do. And the actors live up to the task – particularly Miriam (Brittany Adebumola) as she diligently works on a new walk-in customer, foisted on her by one of the other, lazier, braiders. Her task is to give Jennifer (Rachel Christopher) micro braids that will take the full day to complete – her progress helps mark the passing of the day. Jennifer is nervous and shy when she first enters, but the communal energy of the shop draws her in. We see the various stages of Jennifer's braids, the breaks she takes to stretch and get food, and the bond that grows between new customer and braider as they spend a full day together. Mostly the braiders pass the time chatting and gossiping, with a heavy dose fueled by Bea (Zenzi Williams) who is the resident shit-stirrer. Customers get wrapped up in the drama too, especially when one tries to switch braiders. Even so, the mood is light until the very end when a friend comes to tell Marie that Jaja was taken into custody by ICE at the court house. The women band together to form a plan and support Marie and the play tries to end on an optimistic note despite the circumstances. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Manhattan Theatre Club) Santino Fontana is very talented. He can sing, he can act, he can even dance. But he needs help putting together a show. Cabaret shows at 54 Below can produce wonderful and intimate moments where you get to know the person behind the parts, and the other performers we've seen have put together amazing shows that are coherent and often have some theme or structure. While Fontana told a few amusing stories, he also seemed like he was phoning it in on the night we attended.
The "song out of a hat" idea only works if you have a broad variety of songs in there. We heard ballad after ballad at this show. Which honestly would have been fine (I love a good ballad) if Fontana hadn't made a stink every single time an audience member picked another ballad. He made me feel like we were missing out on all of his amazing upbeat headbangers. I think the truth is that he mostly sings ballads, which is fine... but don't make me feel like the show I saw was subpar because of the random selections of the audience. And please don't put a duet in the hat when you're all alone on stage – alternating between singing his own part and Kristen Bell's part from "Love is an Open Door" (Frozen) as Dorothy from Tootsie was... bad. The whole thing felt very lazy. We were also looking forward to seeing Rebecca Naomi Jones as the featured guest, but she only appeared for one song (performed without Fontana). 54 Below |
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