Filed under: Performing Arts — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:49
As I mentioned during my review of the 2015 production of TITANIC in Toronto, sometimes, perhaps rarer than usual, theater grabs a hold of you and makes a truly indelible impression. For me, that occurrence came with the original 1997 Broadway production of TITANIC: A New Musical. As a young man of 19, it was the first show I had ever seen on the Great White Way; and it has forever lived in my heart as one of my absolute most favorite life experiences. The show, which many believed was doomed from the start (after all, who would want to watch a musical about the famed ocean liner that’s fate is well, pretty well darned known?), became a surprise hit. Winning 5 Tony Awards, TITANIC proved it was the Unsinkable Molly Brown, taking home statues for Best Orchestrations, Best Score, Best Scenic Design, Best Book, and the coveted prize for Best Musical. The show ran for almost two years at the Lunt Fontanne Theater. And it was a juggernaut for actors who would go on to become major Broadway players. Victoria Clark, Michael Cerveris, and Brian D’Arcy James all had main roles.
But as the popularity of TITANIC the film started to dwindle, the musical shuttered on March 21, 1999. However, the show has been considered by many to be a major contribution to the repertoire of American musical theater. Rex Reed commented in his review of the original production that he believed he was watching, “A genuine addition to the American musical theater.” Reed was correct. The show has proven itself as an iconic work and lived on through numerous incarnations of the show–including a national tour, productions across the globe, and most recently at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada in the Summer of 2015. The Toronto production, which opened May 19th, 2015 was based on an acclaimed chamber version of the show which ran in London’s Off-West End Southwark Playhouse in 2013. That show was so well received, there were plans to run it in Toronto in 2014 and bring it back to Broadway in 2015. Unfortunately, official word was producers were unable to find a house for the show; and plans were scrapped.
So, until TITANIC is able to rightly take its place back on the Broadway stage once again, it lives on in regional productions, including the scaled down, yet beautiful, production at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The actors, many of whom play multiple roles, are spectacular. As an ensemble, they are spine-chillingly perfect. Some of the individual performers really stand out. Christopher Block portrays Captain EJ Smith perhaps even more convincingly than original Broadway cast member John Cunningham. He has the mannerisms of the famed Captain down exquisitely.
Bobby Smith, whose absolutely gorgeous and powerful voice fills the theater during each of his scenes, proves he is a veteran performer with the talent and ability to back it. Lawrence Redmond’s Ismay is just as effective. And Nick Lehan, playing wireless operator Harold Bride, displays an incredible range of dynamic vocal quality, that makes up for some of the shortcomings in the dynamic range of Sam Ludwig, who plays Barrett among other roles. Their duet, “The Night Was Alive” has always been my favorite number and scene from the show; and Lehan’s sweet and ranging style provides the perfect blend with Ludwig’s more direct and less dynamic voice during the song.
Florence Lacy, as Ida Strauss, is complimented by the equally capable John Leslie Wolfe as husband Isidor, amazingly. Their duet “Still,” showcases the love the characters had for one another as they decided to die together rather than occupy a space in a lifeboat. Finally, Chris Sizemore and Iyona Blake, though strangely coupled as second class soon-to-be spouses Charles Clarke and Caroline Neville, amazingly make the audience forget their age and racial difference (which is only signifiant because it would more than likely not have existed during the early 1900’s). Neville has a beautiful operatic quality to her voice that is complimented incredibly well by Sizemore. Their number, “I Give You My Hand,” cut from the original Broadway production, is restored beautifully here. While I was originally skeptical of the duo; their performances quickly silenced any fear of anachronism I may have originally had.
Perhaps one aspect in which the show is lacking is its sets. The set is punctuated by several ramps that transverse through several stories throughout the theater, reflecting various entry points to the ship. While this provides scale to the production, most of the action takes place on the main stage, which is often barren sans a very small number of props. So, scenic designer Paul Tate dePoo III leaves a LOT to audiences’ imagination. That works to a certain extent in the theater; but leaving the audience with too much responsibility to fill in the scenic gaps can cheapen the effectiveness of a show. The original production was lauded for its incredible sets. Stewart Laing won the Tony Award for a set that did the unthinkable–SANK! Of course, with large set pieces, props, and costumes (designed by Frank Labovitz and which are somewhat basic in this production), comes enormous expense that regional theaters’ budgets simply don’t have as much space for.
However where the show lacks in sets and costumes, it more than makes up for where it counts–THE BEAUTIFUL MAURY YESTON SCORE!!! Unlike the Toronto production, which utilized a tiny 6-person orchestra, Signature has opted to use a full orchestra to provide the score. THAT ALONE MAKES THIS PRODUCTION WORTH SEEING MORE THAN ONCE! The richness of that amazing score is performed EXACTLY the way it should be! It was so incredibly nice to hear every musical nuance of the production, with an amazingly capable cast of musicians. The woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion are blended flawlessly in Yeston’s work; and it is so incredibly refreshing to hear it all here! Josh Clayton (orchestrations), James Moore (musical direction), and Ryan Hickey (sound design) demonstrate the addition of woodwinds and brass to the arrangement of heavy strings augments heavily the more nautical feel of the show.
There are also some very smart, subtle, and intelligent changes to the book that bolster the quality and flow of the musical. Some lines, delivered by different characters in this production compared to the original, provide a fresh take on the work. The final scene of the original show, which I truly believe was the best final scene ever written for the theater, is less effective with the staging employed here. The characters are moreso joined by the dead, spaced throughout the set, rather than reunited with them, as seen in the original and subsequent productions of the show. Yet the ensemble makes the audience quickly overlook that with their sweepingly powerful and beautiful vocals.
TITANIC truly deserves a life on Broadway. I am really hoping that somehow, that happens! The quality of what is on-stage in Arlington right now is truly amazing. And while Broadway is ever-increasingly cutthroat and ever so reliant on the rehashing of cartoon movies and movie musicals, TITANIC could be a real welcomed breath of fresh air. TITANIC plays at the Signature Theatre through January 29th. For tickets, visit the show’s official Web site @: http://www.sigtheatre.org/events/2016-17/titanic/. Below, watch highlights of the show, courtesy of Signature Theatre:
Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 02:09
The UCF Knights (6-7; 4-4 AAC) lost in embarrassing fashion Saturday night to the Red Wolves of Arkansas State (8-5; 7-1 SBC) in Orlando during the second annual Cure Bowl, televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The loss sealed UCF’s 2016 season as a losing one. As reported by the American Athletic Conference:
Justice Hansen threw three touchdown passes to Kendall Sanders to help Arkansas State beat UCF 31-13 on Saturday night in the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Hansen and Sanders hooked up for touchdown strikes of 12, 75 and 17 yards, but the biggest plays of the night came from the Red Wolves’ special teams. They scored on a blocked punt and produced two turnovers that were turned into touchdowns. Hansen completed 12 of 26 passes for 205 yards.
The Red Wolves (8-5) sealed the victory when they went up 31-13 on Sanders’ 17-yard scoring reception early in the fourth quarter. That touchdown was set up after UCF returner Chris Johnson mishandled a punt and it was recovered by Logan Moragne at the Knights 37. The tone for the special teams was set in the first quarter when Johnston White broke through the line to block Caleb Houston’s punt and B.J. Edmonds fell on the ball in the end zone to put the Red Wolves ahead 7-0 in the first 4 minutes. The Red Wolves took a 17-0 lead over the Knights (6-7) in the first quarter after a UCF fumbled kickoff return set up Hansen’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Hansen.
UCF freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton and the offense couldn’t get much going. Arkansas State’s defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage and kept Milton off balance throughout. Milton completed 22 of 39 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Check out video highlights of the game below, courtesy of ESPN, by clicking the URL below:
Filed under: Popular Culture — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:17
WOW! Hold your breath and feel your hands get sweaty watching these teens scale a skyscraper construction site in NYC. You might want to take a Xanax or down a glass of wine first. NYC FireWire reports:
All 5 boro’s of NYC offer a range of challenges emergency responders must face on a daily basis. From Manhattan’s sky scrapers above ground to below grade Subway lines, Staten Island shipping container terminal or even a private dwelling in the Bronx which holds the unknown such as a drug den like the one that took the life of FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Fahy in September, 2016. FDNY Firefighters have to be on their toes and ready to handle whatever is thrown their way. Aside from buildings, we also have all walks of life, including ones who feel important enough to evade security at a Central Park South High Rise being built. An urban exploer posts videos on youtube of his tresspassing adventure into Manhattan’s High Rises and puts himself into precarious positions just for the thrill of it. Unfortunately, those that must respond in the event he should become trapped or injured on one of these journeys, don’t see the thrill the way he does. This puts responders in a position they are trained for, but never wish to have to execute. Should the thrill seekers selfish acts fail, it will tie up highly trained technical rescue resources and put members at risk of their own.
His events call to question the integrity of the security hired to secure the buildings he gained access to. This leaves NYC’s huge buildings vulnerable. In this day in age, this is completely unacceptable.
Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:17
The UCF Knights (6-6; 4-4 AAC) will face the Red Wolves of Arkansas State (9-3; 7-1 SBC) in the 2016 AutoNation Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida on December 17th. Kickoff is set for 5:30pm and the game will be nationally broadcasted on CBS Sports Network. Although the Knights dropped their final two games of the season at home against Tulsa (9-3; 6-2 AAC) and USF (10-2; 7-1 AAC), their win against the Bearcats of Cincinnati on November 12th gave the Knights’ their requisite 6-season wins, cementing their eligibility for selection in post-season bowl play. The Cure Bowl is a relatively new contest, debuting in the 2015 season. The Bowl’s main focus is to highlight breast cancer awareness; and a significant portion of the bowl’s profits benefits breast cancer research. The bowl is played in UCF’s old stadium, formerly called the Citrus Bowl. The Knights called the Citrus Bowl home from 1979 through 2006. Andrea Adelson and Sam Khan, Jr. break down the matchup between UCF and Arkansas State for ESPN:
Cure Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves
Location: Camping World Stadium | Orlando, Florida
UCF
Best moment: UCF beat UConn 24-16 for the first time since 2013, then left behind the Civil ConFLiCT trophy that Huskies coach Bob Diaco had made to go to the winner of the game. There really is no better way to throw shade at a program that tried to make up a rivalry where one didn’t exist. Without this win, UCF might not have a bowl opportunity.
Lowest moment: Losing to South Florida is never ideal for the Knights, but the way they lost to Houston might be slightly more painful. UCF had a 24-3 lead early in the second half on the road against the Cougars before letting it all slip away. The Knights had four turnovers in the second half and 29 total yards. Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr.took advantage and rallied the Cougars to the 31-24 victory.
Key player: LB Shaquem Griffin. Griffin might be the most remarkable player in college football. Playing with one hand, the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year is tied for No. 10 in the nation in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (19), and he ranks second on the team with 85 total tackles. His twin brother, Shaquill, starts on defense, too. Shaquill leads the team with 12 pass breakups.
Motivation level: High. UCF went 0-12 last season, so getting to six wins and a bowl game under first-year coach Scott Frost is a huge accomplishment. Winning the bowl would be even bigger. It would be the Knights’ first bowl win since Blake Bortles led them to the Fiesta Bowl title over Baylor to end the 2013 season. — Andrea Adelson
Arkansas State
Best moment: The Red Wolves went on the road and whipped an AP-ranked Troy team 35-3. The Trojans came into the game with the Sun Belt’s top scoring offense but committed five turnovers and didn’t reach the end zone once. “They felt like they had already won the Sun Belt title,” Arkansas State defensive end Chris Odom said. “Well, they had to go through us … and we showed them how we play.”
Lowest moment: A 28-23 loss to FCS foe Central Arkansas on Sept. 24 gave the Red Wolves their first 0-4 start in 15 years. The team committed four turnovers, three of which turned into Central Arkansas points. It was Central Arkansas’ first win over an FBS opponent in seven years.
Key player: Ja’Von Rolland-Jones is one sack away from breaking Arkansas State’s school record for career sacks (28). The junior defensive end has 11 of those sacks this season and 16 tackles for loss, leading the Sun Belt in both categories.
Motivation level: Bowl games are always good showcases for schools that don’t get the kind of attention that Power 5 programs get, so you can be assured the Red Wolves will be plenty motivated. This is the sixth consecutive season Arkansas State is bowl eligible and the ninth time in the past 12 years. — Sam Khan Jr.
Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:00
Lady GaGa gave a microphone-dropping performance of her new single, “Million Reasons” from her new #1-selling album Joanne Sunday on the UK version of X Factor. Take a look at her absolutely amazing performance below. Joanne is available now for digital download and in retail stores everywhere from Interscope Records.
Filed under: Performing Arts — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 02:12
The Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA is staging what is sure to be an epic mounting of Maury Yeston’s and Peter Stone’s Tony-Award winning Best Musical TITANIC. The production, which will be staged in an immersive format with the audience surrounding the stage in Signature’s MAX Theatre, begins performances on December 13th and runs through January 29th. Yesterday, Signature released a video of the cast and orchestra rehearsing the opening number, “The Launching: Godspeed TITANIC.” Take a look at the video below. Tickets for the production can be purchased here: http://www.sigtheatre.org/events/2016-17/titanic/.