By Cynthia Corral

The famous musical Chicago might be even more relevant today than when it was first produced on stage decades ago.  These days we move smoothly from Britney’s craziness to Tiger’s shenanigans to Lindsay’s legal woes to Charlie’s “winning”…  and no one really cares what these people have done, we just shell out our hard earned cash to hear stories of tiger blood and porn stars.  Until the next train wreck hits.  As the show says, “What the hell does innocence got to do with it?”

Marquee Productions‘ presentation of Chicago, now playing at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose, is definitely not a train wreck, and still perfectly mirrors our current fascination with celebrity.  I can remember attending at least eight different live performances of Chicago in my life, plus the film, and it is still one of my very favorite shows.  Of course, it’s hard to mess up a show that revolves around sex and murder, with a stage full of scantily clad women and men thrusting and grinding to the Fosse style choreography.  This particular production, put on by Marquee Productions as a benefit for the Children’s Musical Theater, is not only a decidedly adult show that entertains on every level, but it really showcases the talents of the performers who have graduated from our own CMT.

Michael Mulcahy, who started with CMT forty years ago, is absolutely the star of this production as Billy Flynn.  He has an excellent stage presence and voice, and just the right touch of sinister smarminess.  He is possibly the best Billy Flynn I’ve ever seen.  Mary Kalita and Shannon Self also shine as Velma and Roxie, respectively, and I felt they presented a more realistic version of their characters than I have seen before.  In previous productions it always seemed that Velma was the established Vaudeville star, with Roxie the upstart newcomer. In this production they are presented on more equal footing, realizing – as in real life – that “established” means nothing, it’s all about the press of the day.  That is exactly what this show is about, so I’m very impressed to see this slightly new feel with Velma and Roxie.

At first I felt that Amos, played by Michael Johnson, was a little weak, but then he presented “Mr. Cellophane”.  His character came strongly to life with this song, as it should, and his excellent talents in this scene really emphasized the purpose with which he underplayed the role in the first act.  He was fantastic.  Also fantastic was D. Jaques, who played Mary Sunshine to transvestite perfection.  Kudos to Marquee Productions for including the cross dressed character and really not shying away from any of the adult themes.

Kudos also go to the rest of the cast including the cell block and male dancers.  I could hardly take my eyes off Cynthia Parienteand Sarah Marino of the sexy cell block, and my guest was quite impressed with Breana Taylor.  But we were both impressed and quite enjoyed the entire cast of male dancers as well.  Although they were mostly chorus dancers, they were quite amazing and helped round out this production to the highest enjoyment level.

A huge thank you to director/choreographer Kevin R. Hauge for putting on this thoroughly entertaining show.  It was one of the most fun nights I’ve had in theater in recent memory.

All tickets are $30, and the small Montgomery Theater makes every seat a good one.  The show is a benefit for our localChildren’s Musical Theater, and this production of adult performers shows what excellent training comes through the CMT. There are baskets at the exit doors for donations as well, and my guest and I dug into our purses to find every last scrap of cash we had.  It is definitely a worthwhile cause.

Chicago
Through April 23
Montgomery Theater
271 S. Market Street, San Jose
Tickets available at www.cmtsj.org or call 408-792-4111
Use promo code LUVIT for $5 off each ticket

 

 

 

By Cynthia Corral

 

Broadway San Jose brings one of the best deals in town to the Center for Performing Arts this week with STOMP. This amazingly energetic ode to the love of rhythm, music and dance will be in town only until Sunday, but it’s a show that no one in the family should miss.

It’s a fully complete entertainment extravaganza.  Eight muscled percussionists wordlessly dance and pound away on any conceivable item that might make a sound.   Each performer has their own character and personality that comes across even without words, and these characters continue storylines throughout the show as they joyously entertain with their music.

If you have never seen this show, throw away any preconceived notions you might have about it.  It’s not just the banging and clanging of metal garbage cans, although there is certainly that.  There are also incredibly choreographed syncopated dances with push brooms and giant tractor tires, and soothing music from lighters and match books.  Music is made with plastic bags, paper bags, soda cups, just about anything you can think of INCLUDING the kitchen sink.

It’s visual eye candy as well, from the colorful set to the constant lighting shifts to the very charismatic and handsome troupe of performers.  Six men and two women give everything they have to entertain the audience, and you will be quite amazed at the energy involved.  There were only a few short breaks for each performer, but they gave 100% every moment they are on stage – and then somehow manage to double their energy for the final number.

But most of all these eight performers bring their love of music (and I’ve never met a percussionist who wasn’t drumming on everything in sight, every minute of the day) to every member of the audience, and hopefully, most especially, to the young people with their imaginations.  They quite explicitly show that music can be made from anything; from anything that makes the slightest, softest sound to anything that makes a head throbbing crash, and everything in between.  The creation and love and enjoyment of music, the medicine for the soul… this is what STOMP brings to its audience.

STOMP is not about banging trash cans.  It is amazing, genius choreography, it is extremely talented and attractive performers, it is imagination and beauty AND the love of music which is a quality from which everyone can benefit.  It also brings community service: Read to the end to find out how you can help “STOMP OUT HUNGER” when you see the show.

STOMP your way into the theater, and clap and snap your way out of it with a smile on your face and a rhythm in your step.  And by all means, bring your kids.

STOMP
Broadway San Jose
WHEN:    April 12-17, 2011
WHERE: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose
TICKETS: Single tickets ($20-$69) can be purchased by calling (408) 792-4111 or visiting www.sjtix.com.

Audiences can help to “STOMP OUT HUNGER” by entering the code word HUNGER when ordering tickets and a $5 donation will be automatically made to Second Harvest Food Bank–enough to provide 10 complete, nutritious meals. Bins will also be available at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, while the show is in residence, to collect canned and packaged foods. Foods most needed include: peanut butter, canned meat such as tuna, and meals in a can with pop-top lids (soup, stew, chili).  Collection cans will also be available in the lobby for monetary donations.

This weekend San Jose will get what might be the most unique movie-watching experience I've heard of: the "inaugural" Bean Bag Film Fest, hosted by the San Jose Woman's Club. You can enjoy a double feature of cult films each night for three nights, seated in a comfy bean bag chair (first-come first-served), while sipping a pleasant adult beverage, in a beautiful art deco ballroom. There's also food provided by a different food truck each night. Thursday is Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland with Tikka Bytes food truck. Friday is Harold and Maude and Rushmore with Tac Gos food truck. Libations on Thursday and Friday include beer and wine selections. Saturday is a special 21+ event with Swingers and The Big Lebowski with BBQ Kalbi and cocktail selections including White Russians (natch!). For more info, check it on the SJ Woman's Club website

.

• What: Bean Bag Film Fest
• Where: The San Jose Woman's Club, 75 S 11th St, San Jose
• When: April 14-16, doors open at 7 each night
• Who: Thursday and Friday, 18+; Saturday 21+
• How much: $10 per night

Photo by superde1uxe on Flickr, used by permission under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License

By Cynthia Corral

Legacy of Light contains great characters, new ideas, and multiple themes and plots.  It presents both comedy and tragedy, fictional and non-fictional characters, and keeps you enthralled even during science lectures which actually teach you something.  Moving from France in the 1700s to present day New Jersey, there is a great deal going on during the play, yet it is never complicated or distracting.

This amazing, original story is as fresh and new as the ever present apples in the production.  It was refreshing to see something so completely modern even in scenes that took place 250 years ago.  It’s also a story about both science and love.  So many opposite subjects are tackled here and yet playwright Karen Zacaríassuccessfully ties them all together.  It is absolutely worthy of being awarded “Best New American Play” by the American Theatre Critics Association.

 

Just some of the questions this play brings up:  What makes a mother?  Do you have to give birth to be a mother, and if you do give birth does that make you a mother?  What if you’re not sure you really want the child you asked a surrogate to carry for you? What if you know you will die in childbirth and thus deprive the world of all the amazing scientific ideas in your head?  Which will make you immortal: your children or your ideas?

There is also a lot of science in this story, and much of it is taught very clearly to the audience. We learned about E=mv², E=mc², the birth of planets, and dark matter.  Well, we learn that we don’t know anything about dark matter at all, but still. I thought the female scientists were very inspiring, especially with all the obstacles they faced as women:  Émilie du Châtelet was not allowed to publish under her own name, but modern day women still have very little chance of winning a Nobel Prize in science.

The six actors in the play are all amazing, and most of them played two characters each.  I was particularly impressed with Kathryn Tkel, who was in the SJ Rep’s Secret Order. I think she does an outstanding job playing young Millie the surrogate mother, as well as a young girl in 18^th Century France, and it appears her acting skills have grown considerably this year. Rachel Harker was marvelous in last month’s The Dresser, and she is marvelous again here as Émilie. And I thought Carrie Paff was most excellent as the awkward scientist Olivia who doubts her mothering capabilities.

My guest and I left the theater with a terrific feeling of having just seen something new, original and fresh.  It was engaging, funny, emotional, and inspirational and we even learned a lot!  I can’t recommend this show enough.

 

 

Mentioning the Charlie Musselwhite and Rusty Zinn shows on Facebook got me back a reminder about another Blues event this weekend. Blue to the Roots is an art & music show featuring local artists including my neighbor Katrina ("recently returned from London") Loera, and music harkening back to the likes of Son House and Robert Johnson.

So that's one more choice on a your-not-gonna-see-it-all night.

-Matt Bruensteiner

 

There's a tough music choice in downtown San Jose tomorrow night.

One choice is big name bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, playing at the San Jose Jazz first-ever Winter Fest. The show is at the Fairmont hotel and starts at 8. More details and ticket sales are at sanjosejazz.org.

The alternative is a local blues player who's jumped into the world of roots reggae. Rusty Zinn plays at the Poor House Bistro from 6 to 10. Check the video sampler on Zinn's website before you pick the bigger name act.

- Matt Bruensteiner

Walking in Japantown yesterday, I just noticed an old sign I hadn't picked up on before. On the blank wall of the Object art gallery, facing 5th Street, I happened to see the outline of an old sign. I had to look pretty closely to make out what it says..."NORTHSIDE NUT SHELLING CO".

If you've been to the Obon festival in Japantown you know they use old bins from the Northside Nut Co and other local packing companies to collect garbage...Now you know where those bins were originally used. The second photo is where I tried to boost contrast to make the old sign show up better ... though I'm not sure it helps that much.

-Matt Bruensteiner

By Cynthia Corral

Show reviews usually write themselves.  “Great show, great acting, beautiful scenery/costumes/etc, Go see it!”  Occasionally the shows are not great and the reviews are more difficult to write.  But it is very, very seldom that we see a show that is just too spectacular for words.

The Dresser, currently at the San Jose Repertory Theatre, is one of these shows.  I don’t know where to start!  This is one magical presentation.  Throughout the show I just kept whispering in my mind, “Stupendous!”  

It’s a show about the theatre, but like every great production, it is also about so much else.  Taking place during World War II, it focuses on Sir, an aging actor getting ready for his 227th performance as King Lear, and his “dresser”, Norman.  What takes place in the dressing room is more than preparations for a performance, it is the story of a lifelong friendship, it is the end of one man’s career and maybe his life, and this will signal the end of life as he knows it for another man.  The story of King Lear plays out right here in the dressing room, in a serious, touching, heartbreaking and yet comedic two hours.  It is also the story of the show still going on, of lifetime performances continuing into the afterlife, of human beings never giving up.

What raises this production above so many others are the performances by the two stars, Ken Ruta and James Carpenter.  There is no doubt as you sit in the audience that you are watching something special, something magical, something very important.  Describing these two are where I lose my words, because nothing I say can do them justice.  Please take my silence in this section as my highest reverence to them both.  Their performances simply rendered me speechless.

If you love theatre, if you love Shakespeare, if you love stories of intense human will and integrity and pressing on through life while always giving the best you have to give, this is the show for you.  If you want to witness something magical, this is the show for you.  

Playing through February 20 at the San Jose Repertory - word is getting around fast and this show will be sold out soon, so plan to get your tickets quickly.

THE DRESSER

San Jose Repertory Theatre
Tickets: http://tickets.sjrep.com/calendar/index.aspx
$10 Student tickets for Tuesdays, and Wednesday matinees

 

 

By Cynthia Corral

I hope everyone is taking their vitamins, getting their exercise, and soaking up lots of this February sun…  there are only 25 more days until Cinequest 21 hits downtown San Jose.

This year you can expect 173 films, starring such notable actors such as Edie Falco, Edward James Olmos, Uma Thurman, Catherine Deneuve, John Turturro, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Jenna Fischer and Chris O’Donnell… and even MORE.

Cinequest turns 21 this year, so it’s now of age, and of course in celebration there will be ten Maverick Meetups, 11 VIP Soirees, and of course the fantastic Openingand Closing Parties.

The opening film will be PASSIONE, screening at 7pm on March 1 in the California Theatre.  These tickets go quickly, so you should be making plans now.  This film is written and directed by John Turturro, and he is expected to attend the festival to receive the Maverick Spirit Award this year.  The opening party will be at Eulipia Restaurant ANDThe Swinging Hookah on South 1st Street, right after the film.

The closing film will be SOUL SURFER, the story of Bethany Hamilton.  This young surfing star lost her arm in a shark attack, and many teenage girls, including my daughter, have her poster on their wall – still surfing, even after the accident.  But this story goes even further.  Bethany found a great purpose in life when she visited Thailand after the tsunami.  Played by AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and also starring Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood, this film should make a great end to the festival.  Bethany and AnnaSophia will both be receiving Maverick Spirit Awards.  The closing party will follow at South First Billiards and will last until they kick us out (kicking and screaming).  This will be another event you need to start looking at tickets for now to avoid missing out.

Other highlights include:
The 1922 silent film NOSFERATU, A SYMPHONY OF HORROR in a 35mm color tinted restoration.  One of the first vampires on film, you’re sure to have nightmares watching Edward Cullen’s great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

The Day of the Writer forums will focus on Sci Fi!  Part One is called “Crafting the Heart of Sci Fi: The Story”.  Howard Suber from UCLA will use films such as 2001, ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER and TERMINATOR as examples in this story development forum.  Part Two is “Sci Fi Writing Comprehensive” and will be run by writers Steve Cuden (“Startgate Infinity”) and Paul Chitlik (“The New Twilight Zone”).  Part Three is a discussion with two of the industry’s most prominent sci-fi writers:  Academy Award winner David Webb Peoples (BLADERUNNER, 12 MONKEYS) will join whomever wins the Maverick Spirit Award.  Should be interesting to anyone who loves Sci Fi!!

We will have Cinequest updates and film reviews up as we get closer to festival time.  Keep checking back for all your Cinequest updates, and while you’re waiting, head over to the Cinequest site to purchase your tickets and film passes!

But most importantly, take care of yourself this month, because in 25 more days we’re all headed back to the theater for a marathon of independent film — JOIN US!

Cinequest Film Festival 21
March 1 to March 13, 2011

Twitter: @Cinequest

Twitter hashtags:  We use #CQFF.  Cinequest inexplicably wants #CQMMC.  

Pick one or mix and match!

 

 

Today, February 3, 2011 is Lunar New Year.

Year of the Rabbit (Chinese) and Year of the Cat (Vietnamese).

- Gary Wiens