Blame it on the creative imagination of mankind, but fake news has always been with us. People have always told stories about things that never happened and beings that never existed to people who like to hear stories like this. Think of ancient myths, of Shakespeare and other playwrights, of movies, television shows, and tabloids. Think of snake oil salesmen, of advertisers for miracle cures, of promises to renew your youth. Think of political lies, smears, and accusations.
Most of us understand that entertainment fiction is not real life, and I hope most of us learn to be wary of miraculous cure-alls, but too many of us seem to be willing to swallow whatever "truth" suits our preconceptions when it comes to politics. Buyers, beware. Fiction can't hurt you, and most fake medicines can't either, although they may cost you a pretty penny. But supporting fake political news can cost you even more--your safety, your health care, your social security, and, ultimately, your freedom.
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Sunday, October 2, 2016
What a Show!
Fiorella LOVED Georgetown's Palace Theater production of 42nd Street! It hit all the right spots and left the audience begging for more. Georgetown's Palace Theater has come along way from when it had to paint mustaches on high school boys and so they could pass as adults on stage.
42nd Street is a period piece, and Fio doesn't remember ever seeing it as a movie,but she did know most of the songs--notably Dames, We're in the Money, Sunny Side, Lullaby of Broadway, About a Quarter to Nine, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, Forty-second Street. The story, based on a movie based on a book, is cliche: a young, pretty hoofer comes to NY, is thrust into spotlight, and, despite setbacks, makes it big. It's a silly show biz parody in which even the villain turns sweet, but it's also somehow quite touching.
What can Fio say? The casting was great, the costumes were perfect, the settings were right-on, and the dance numbers (choreographed by Jessee Smart) were unbelievably good. Fio's favorite routines were the French farce-like scene on the sleeper car and the Agnes de Mille hooker scene at the end of the show.
Getting down to nit-picking minutia, the heroine's blonde wig turned a surprising white under "nighttime" lights, the young boy in the cast never missed a beat but seemed out of place in the sometimes bawdy musical, and Fio and her guests couldn't figure out why a happy-looking man was dressed--and danced--as a woman in the final scene.
Anyway, the show was great. Fio's been through a lot lately and 42nd Street allowed her to escape into another world for two glorious hours. Maybe that's what show business is all about.
42nd Street is a period piece, and Fio doesn't remember ever seeing it as a movie,but she did know most of the songs--notably Dames, We're in the Money, Sunny Side, Lullaby of Broadway, About a Quarter to Nine, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, Forty-second Street. The story, based on a movie based on a book, is cliche: a young, pretty hoofer comes to NY, is thrust into spotlight, and, despite setbacks, makes it big. It's a silly show biz parody in which even the villain turns sweet, but it's also somehow quite touching.
What can Fio say? The casting was great, the costumes were perfect, the settings were right-on, and the dance numbers (choreographed by Jessee Smart) were unbelievably good. Fio's favorite routines were the French farce-like scene on the sleeper car and the Agnes de Mille hooker scene at the end of the show.
Getting down to nit-picking minutia, the heroine's blonde wig turned a surprising white under "nighttime" lights, the young boy in the cast never missed a beat but seemed out of place in the sometimes bawdy musical, and Fio and her guests couldn't figure out why a happy-looking man was dressed--and danced--as a woman in the final scene.
Anyway, the show was great. Fio's been through a lot lately and 42nd Street allowed her to escape into another world for two glorious hours. Maybe that's what show business is all about.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Three Thumbs Up for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE at Georgetown Palace Theater
The Georgetown Palace Theater's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe was the sort of show that makes Fio want to leap back onto the stage again. Not that, even in her heyday, she could have kept up with the non-stop singing and dancing that the show, a compendium of Leiber and Stoller songs, requires. There was enough energy on the stage to power the Pedernales Electric Coop for the whole summer.
The band, which had occasional solos, was perfecto, the sets were fantastico, the costumes were right on, the choreography was out of this world, the singing was great, and the dancing absolutely fabulous. The company, composed of just nine people, five men and four women, were usually all on the stage at the same time--which meant that the costume changes must have been hell--and everyone was super good. The guys' numbers were the stars of the show, and a few individual players did stand out from the crowd, like Kelsey Wooldridge, Pablo Sanchez, Chris Barfield, and Kirk Kelso.
.
The band, which had occasional solos, was perfecto, the sets were fantastico, the costumes were right on, the choreography was out of this world, the singing was great, and the dancing absolutely fabulous. The company, composed of just nine people, five men and four women, were usually all on the stage at the same time--which meant that the costume changes must have been hell--and everyone was super good. The guys' numbers were the stars of the show, and a few individual players did stand out from the crowd, like Kelsey Wooldridge, Pablo Sanchez, Chris Barfield, and Kirk Kelso.
.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Reviewing ALWAYS . . . PATSY CLINE
Fiorella slept late again this morning, not because she had insomnia earlier in the night like on Thursday, but because she saw a good production yesterday evening at Georgetown's Palace Theater and rested easy.
Fio says a good production because that's what it was--good, but not great. Always . . . Patsy Cline featured twenty-six hits of the big-voiced country-pop star put into a pseudo-biographical order. The singing and characterization of Ysenia McNett was tremendous, especially for basically a one-woman show. McNett, who usually sings lyric soprano roles, has great contralto pipes too. She owned the role, portraying Cline from tender ingenue to swaggering star. No one could totally duplicate Cline's unique ability to switch registers with ease, but McNett came as close as you're gonna get. And her styling was perfect.
The pseudo biography is where the play failed. Unlike the similar Buddy Holley reprise, Always . . . Patsy Cline intimates that the Cline's songs reflected her life, that she had experienced the let-down-by-a-man, honky-tonk life she sang about. To that end, the playwright created a fake character to narrate the play--Louise Seger, a comic-relief fan whom Cline supposedly met along the way.
But a little Googling tells a different story. Cline was no shrinking violet tromped on by chauvinistic male arrogance. Her songs were often the female counterpart to the country-western masculine wails about women who had done them wrong, but she was the one who divorced her first husband because he wanted her to dump her career and settle down to housewifery bliss. Her second marriage was relatively happy, producing two children. And Cline has no need for a devoted fan to protect her interests. In fact, she led the charge when it came to country performers being paid upfront rather than after the show, when producers often stiffed them.
But Fiorella quibbles. The minimalist stage setting worked well, and Fio was entranced by the way the band, often stuck off in a corner so as not to distract from the action, was rightfully front and center most of the time, actually part of story. The costumes were spot on, and, for once, Fio has not a single complaint about the directing. Needless to say, the theater was SRO and has been since opening night. Extra shows have been added.
All in all, Aways . . . Patsy Cline was a treat.
CORRECTION: Louise Seger was a real person and real fan. But Fio still objects to her as a comic-relief character.
Fio says a good production because that's what it was--good, but not great. Always . . . Patsy Cline featured twenty-six hits of the big-voiced country-pop star put into a pseudo-biographical order. The singing and characterization of Ysenia McNett was tremendous, especially for basically a one-woman show. McNett, who usually sings lyric soprano roles, has great contralto pipes too. She owned the role, portraying Cline from tender ingenue to swaggering star. No one could totally duplicate Cline's unique ability to switch registers with ease, but McNett came as close as you're gonna get. And her styling was perfect.
The pseudo biography is where the play failed. Unlike the similar Buddy Holley reprise, Always . . . Patsy Cline intimates that the Cline's songs reflected her life, that she had experienced the let-down-by-a-man, honky-tonk life she sang about. To that end, the playwright created a fake character to narrate the play--Louise Seger, a comic-relief fan whom Cline supposedly met along the way.
But a little Googling tells a different story. Cline was no shrinking violet tromped on by chauvinistic male arrogance. Her songs were often the female counterpart to the country-western masculine wails about women who had done them wrong, but she was the one who divorced her first husband because he wanted her to dump her career and settle down to housewifery bliss. Her second marriage was relatively happy, producing two children. And Cline has no need for a devoted fan to protect her interests. In fact, she led the charge when it came to country performers being paid upfront rather than after the show, when producers often stiffed them.
But Fiorella quibbles. The minimalist stage setting worked well, and Fio was entranced by the way the band, often stuck off in a corner so as not to distract from the action, was rightfully front and center most of the time, actually part of story. The costumes were spot on, and, for once, Fio has not a single complaint about the directing. Needless to say, the theater was SRO and has been since opening night. Extra shows have been added.
All in all, Aways . . . Patsy Cline was a treat.
CORRECTION: Louise Seger was a real person and real fan. But Fio still objects to her as a comic-relief character.
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