rndyounghowze

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-24 Out Of Order

Written and Performer By: Carl Holder

Presented By: A House Near You

Since the beginning of 2020 we have virtually attended hundreds of shows in people’s living rooms, basements , and even a closet or two. We talk about the Zoom aesthetic being a cyber-punk house show. Yet the one thing that we haven’t done since we (meaning Ricky) were in our high school punk days was to attend a house show in person. This is why we want to thank Carl Holder and his show “Out of Order” for reintroducing us to immersive theatre. Wearing all white and pulling cards out of a basket Holder made us equal parts uncomfortable and equal parts embraced. We weren’t just spectators or participants (we even wrote and performed our own cards at the end) we were a new amalgamation all our own.

Creating Plot Shrapnel

Holder doesn’t know this but Ricky’s grad thesis was a play that was performed out of order. The cool narrative trick in this is that you can’t control what’s a set up and what’s a punchline. You have to treat each card like plot shrapnel. No matter which bit hits us first it’s all going to have the same effect. Yet Holder was able to still create a well made three act mystery with its own twist endings. Except instead of “who” or “what” we figured out “why”. You’ll have to go yourself to figure it out.

A High We Will Be Chasing For A long Time.

Some of the cards invite the audience to play along. Since the audience was such a small group of people you never felt embarrassed or called out. Carl talks about playing for rooms that maxed out around 11 people (Still very intimate by even Blackbox standards). Yet with the cooler full of beer and sitting on couches and the action of the play happening all around us the vibe felt like the chillest fringe show we’d ever seen. This is a vibe and a high that we will be chasing for a very long time. We want to thank Carl for making us feel just as welcome and seen as we do in any Zoom or immersive digital theatre environment. This is the genre where we feel most embraced and we never knew that it could have an in person analogue. We don’t know if the carrots strewn all over the floor are a prerequisite to that warm fuzzy feeling. We’ll have to find more house shows to find out.

[rndyounghowze]

Review 581 Chronicles Of A Black Deaf-Blind Girl

Written By: Ashlea Brittney Hayes

Directed By: Brian Cheslik

Presented By: Deaf Austin Theatre

Starring: Ashlea Brittney Hayes and Joey Antonio

When you boil this play down it’s about vulnerability and confidence. Being deaf blind, Black, or a woman doesn’t make you helpless. Yet trying to get out into the dating world while figuring out how to work with a cane and losing your sight is going to take some getting used to. This is how we meet Ghari, a Black Deaf-Blind girl who is single and ready to mingle. Yet she has to travel with her cane as her wingman (wingwoman?) Can she strike out on her own yet still build a support system for herself? You’ll have to watch and find out.

When Do We Feel The Emotional Beats?

A lot of really good short plays use the framing device Hayes employs here. A person is going on several dates and all of the characters are played by the same person. It mirrors the evolution of our main character Ghari. While no one else in this play changes, Ghari is the one with growth. Hayes has the structure of the plot down. The only thing we wished for was intention. Hayes could linger more on moments that we wanted to wallow in or speed up in the manic moments. Like when Ghari’s drink gets spiked the pace gets very frenetic like a tiltawhirl. That made us feel her fear. When do we feel other emotional beats?

The “Mission” Of The Scene!

Cheslik is a director that knows how to break scenes into beats and interpret the energy of the scene. You barely feel his presence guiding the show, but you KNOW what the “mission” of the scene is supposed to be. When the scene is supposed to be awkward, like when Ghari gets frustrated talking to her date that keeps shouting ASL at her, we FEEL awkward. There’s no way that awkwardness wasn’t an intentional work of the director. We can tell that Cheslik poured a lot of support into this new work and we hope that he’s involved in the next developments.

Props To A Great Duo!

Um can we ust talk about the talent and the comedic chops of this Hayes and Antonio for a second? Both of these two had a delivery, pacing, and a volley between each other even as Antonio keeps switching characters. You could sit and watch Antonio make a meal out of each character all day. Then to see him turn from sleazebag to bestie on a dime was a real treat. Then Hayes’s ability to each f th character changes was itself a spectacular thing to watch.

[rndyounghowze]

ReaD-2 No Short Cuts: The Five Chambers

By: Mike Czuba

“This book will not bulls*** you with empty promises of future succes. This book will not hug you. This book will make you think about creativity a little differently. This book will offer you simple clear suggestions to explore within your own process. This book will give you permission to slow down This book will share ideas with you that have been shared with me. This book will ask you to hug yoursel, be kind, let go of some control and just make stuff. “ Pg. 16 Mike Czuba

We both can talk about the writing process like no one’s business. If we’re not writing reviews or consulting with clients about their work we are talking about our own writing. This makes us very choosy when it comes to books from writers trying to teach you how to write. They often come with two challenges: The writer is trying to force you into his mold of what a writer is or the writing exercises are clunky and don’t work.

Writer (and Young-Howze Theatre Award Winner) Mike Czuba’s book No Shortcuts isn't trying to do any of that. As an artist that didn’t start his academic journey until he was 35 he doesn’t seem the type to mince words. In this book he only has one goal “to make you explore your creative process.” There aren’t any writing exercises in the book. In fact we don’t feel he thinks writing a script is a requirement. He only guides you through “The Chambers” which are ways of thinking and frames of mind that keep you from creating. He doesn’t care if you make a puppet show, a burlesque act, or an opera. He just wants to remove the blocks in your head and keep creating. That’s what got us intrigued and led us to read the book in a day.

Czuba’s writing delivers the advice we wish we’d had when we were in college. He breaks it down into easy chapters that are simple to read. He also strays away from being prescriptive or trying to mold you into his image. He doesn’t want to stamp you into mini versions of himself. His only goal is to push you out of the box and explore how you create. He wants you to find your process not his. He wants you to avoid the inevitable block that will keep you from making your best work.

We also love that he pulls from music to writing, dance, and theatre. He doesn’t care where you came from or what disciplines you’re familiar with. He’s all about using what’s needed to get the point across. He even provides case studies from his own work with Dancing Monkey Laboratories and the two-semester syllabus from his college course. He’ll quote from Paul McCartney or Peter Brook he doesn’t care. His chapters aren’t wordy or even deep they are just dense. We are sitting here writing this review and feel like we could dive into the book a second and even third time. When you’re ready to read this book be prepared to have it with you for a week or so and keep coming back to it.

Buy It Here: https://www.amazon.ca/NO-SHORTCUTS-Chambers-Practical-Creative/dp/B0CLQB7WJ7

[rndyounghowze]

ReaD-1 Theatre Work: reimagining the labor of theatrical production

By: Brìdìn Clements Cotton and Natalie Robin

@theatre.work.book

“When we first approached Carmen Morgan about writing the forward to the book, she, rightfully so, challenged us about whether we-Natalie and Bridin,two white women- should be the ones writing this book, examining practices that have been harmful to BIPOC writers particularly, and exploring the work that is happening to improve production workers’ lives. We are writing about it not because we have ownership of the work itself, but because we have many privileges that allow us to spend time on the research and the writing. This is, in her words, an “in the meantime solution.” Brìdìn Clements Cotton and Natalie Robin Pg. 232

Before praising this important book we must lay some groundwork. It was a bit hard to read The Theatre workbook from beginning to end. When you are one of the historically marginalized communities in the arts each chapter from beginning to end feels like cisgender able-bodied white women explaining to us why life backstage in the theatre is bad. Trust us we know. We know painfully well why we’re not welcome. And so we’d pick it up and try then get to a point where it was just too much and put it down.

It's when we read the passage on page 232 when the weight fell off our chest. So let us preface the praise that we are about to lay on this project with a note to our people: They have been made aware. They know what this looks like and they’ve tried to make up for it. So many times we see cis white writers try to be a “voice of the movement” and speak the lingo but all the glory comes back to them. We feel that this isn’t the case (though we haven’t met them yet) We feel like a decision has been made to not include a BIPOC, Trans, or Disabled voice in the room to share writer credit. We don’t know if that was intentional or accidental but that’s a conversation we can have in the future.

This book is one of the most comprehensive compilations of all the research and literature about the disaster that is the current theater labor situation we have ever seen. Every chapter has multiple pages of cited sources. They lay everything out from the abuse of obsolete internship programs, the need for a revitalized reporting structure, the gross mislabeling of designers as independent contractors, and how much of a miracle it is that costume designers haven’t started a riot (seriously give your costume designers a hug and higher pay). They have all of the information and they take years of work backstage, teaching, and organizing with the union to lay out the problem and offer solutions.

We think that this book is a huge must read! This book needs to be on the desk of every artistic director. All work on future seasons should halt (while giving staff two months of paid leave) until the admin teams and board of directors have read this book and every scrap of source material. This book is not the end all be all but it is the spark that should get the conversation going. We no longer have to tell you what’s wrong. The book lays that out. Now we can talk about where we go from here.

We invite you to take the deep dive that we are going through now. Read the book and then try to dig into as much of their source material as you can. Then use this book as a springboard to start dialogues. This book is not the conversation. It’s not the answer. It’s a loud vocalization of all the backstage whispers and silent burnouts that left backstages and production meetings empty. It’s the valuable starting off point that allows those who didn’t see the problem to see through the eyes of their peers and realize what’s going on. Now that this book exist lets now start moving forward with the solution.

Buy it here: https://www.routledge.com/Theatre-Work-Reimagining-the-Labor-of-Theatrical-Production/ClementsCotton-Robin/p/book/9781032361345

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-23 The Duat

Written By: Roger Q. Mason

Directed By: Taibi Magar

Presented By: Philadelphia Theatre Company

In the Christian Nationalist churches that Ricky attended since birth (they were Baby Jesus in the pageant) there was a phrase that was constantly thrown at them. “You had better get it right in private or else the world will know.” We were meant to fearfully repent of our sins and get our life right because there was one day when we were going to stand before a White Jesus with all our deeds played out on a movie screen in front of a great heavenly host. One of Dana’s phrases that they adopted from the aftermath of the murder of Breonna Taylor was “Not all skinfolk was kinfolk”. We all know that there are some African Americans who swallow the hateful white supremacist rhetoric and will stop at nothing to kill the movement that has been on for decades. When Frank X walks onto the Suzanne Roberts Theatre Stage as Cornelius he finds himself in the Egyptian Afterlife (The Duat). When we come to learn the things that he has done we are expecting a White Jesus style reckoning. We are looking for a skinfolk that betrayed the kinfolk to get their just desserts. Yet playwright Roger Q. Mason and director Taibi Magar show us a different way. Set to the African Drumming of Barbara “Muzicaldunk” Duncan we are taught a different way or reckoning with the past.

A River Of Artistic Wealth

Mason’s text uses the minimal staging to swim in a river of artistic wealth. This is not a theatre of poverty. This is not a solo show. Mason turns everything into a character. The lights are a character. The sound is a character. The drums are a character. The drummer herself is a character. We the audience are characters in this play. Mason uses these rich resources to build a boat to sail us through this story of the beginning and end of a movement. This is a story of how a Black man built an identity for himself only for the US Government to throw it away. Mason crafted a text and built an artistic language to remind us that there is an identity, a mythology, a cosmology (if youre nasty) that is ready to welcome and cradle Black and Brown bodies to give them rest.

Achieving The Same Goal In Three Ways

We have to talk about Magar, X, and Hunter’s work at the same time because it seemed that they all three achieved the same goal in different ways. They worked with the corporeal form to embody the story on stage. In Magar’s case, she worked with X to make the transitions from one character to another seamless. Though Cornelius, his mother, his lovers, the cops, and all the rest were all embodied by X they were as unique as tailor-made gloves. X used his instrument and craft to slide in and out of each character like a quick-change artist. Though it didn’t come off as a display of skill or talent. It was in service of the story. And X made it look easier than a trick. He made it look as easy as breathing.

Hunter worked with X to take us to Africa. We didn’t need fancy lights, sound, or anything to travel to the Land of the Nile. Hunter’s work was a living history, tradition came alive. It was also artistry. He worked with X and Magar to embody both the emotion and tension of the moment and also the magical power Osiris and the drums had on Cornelius. Without all three of these artist’s work the costume would have just been clothes. The lights would cast color and shadow on a moving body. The sound would just be noise coming from speakers. These three artists created the bridge between the play and the design that was needed to turn this stage into the afterlife.

A Constant Musical Presence

Muzikaldunk had to be a constant presence She had to be ours and Cornelius’s handhold through the Duat without saying a word. Every beat of the drum and crash of the cymbal was a different word or phrase to say “Yes”, or “no” or talk us off the ledge when we were scared. Muzikaldunk is an expert of making sure each way of striking the drum is unique. She could create a lexicon with the drums to underscore the emotional theme of the moment. “But Dana and Ricky don’t all musicians do that”. Yes, obviously but this went beyond music, beat, and meter and moved into language and meaning. This is a concept that exists heavily in the tradition of African Drumming. Muzilaldunk brings all of this tradition into the story and is why we say both the drums and the drummer become their own character.

Substantial, Solid, With Meat And Bones Attached

All of the design turned the invisible into a real coproreal presence. Weaver’s light turned into walls and columns completing the set design. Weaver turned the light board op into a puppeteer making the light dance and create a physical presence on the stage. Frison’s sound put crocodiles in front of us and dogs behind us. Ham’s stage reflected light back up and looked like Cornelius was standing on an obsidian mirror. Lindsey’s costumes created a blank slate for our imaginations to turn into sundresses, uniforms, and other clothes. All of these artists took their individual elements and turned them into something substantial, solid, with meat and bones attached to it. That is where design can truly come together to create characters and tell a story.

Make Hearts Lighter In The Present

At the end of the day we feel that Mason’s message is that you’re somebody no matter what. No one can give it or take it away from you. No matter what you have done with your life you are somebody. Deifying people strips away their identity just as much as demonizing them. Do we condone the evil deeds that The FBI coerced Cornelius and other Black people to do? The evil things they openly bragged about doing? (We’re looking at you war on drugs!) Hell no! Yet maybe we need to stop praying for a judgement day and focus on preserving personhood. Let’s create a world where the Field of Reeds is a place on Earth. Let’s make hearts lighter in the present and create a reckoning on this physical plane. Let the cosmos and the pantheons sit this one out. Let’s create a world of somebodies.

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-22 Hilma

Words By: Kate Scelsa

Music By: Robert M. Johanson

Directed By: Morgan Green

Presented By:

Wilma Theater and New Georges

Who gets to decide who is canonized as one of the masters and who is labeled a cook? If Hilma Af Klint was around today documenting the building of her spiral temple on TikTok and talking about the commission from Amaliel she might have gone viral, or gotten her own TLC special nestled between strange addictions and hoarders. Yet she might have been in a world that could have seen her for the woman that she was, the artist that she was, and the lover that she was. Kate Scelsa and Robert M. Johanson create a contemporary opera that tells us the story of Hilma an artist and pioneer who had to envision an astral plane where gender was fluid, where love was love, and where she could belong. Directed by Morgan Green and created in partnership with Wilma Theater and New Georges this final show in their season is a show that is more of an immersive experience than a story. In fact, it’s an opera where each act might as well be its own show.

Three Plays In One

Green had to direct three plays in one. We are not going to lie to you and say that this is one opera. Hilma is directed into three very distinct parts the first is a historical “biopic” of Hilma’s journey until she took a break from the mainstream world in 1912. The second is a trippy 1970s muppet show-style journey into the astral plane. And lastly to the modern day where the performers who have just delivered this opera sing us a talkback. These are three wildly different levels of energy, three unique set designs, and three wildly different shows. Yet they all come together to form something that is meant to leave you questioning.

The Astral Plane

Who gets to decide what the astral plane looks like? Who gets to decide what creates that feeling of queer joy and affirmation looks like from one person to another? When we look at the artist's imagining of what Hilma Af Klint’s astral plane could look like we see a fractal paradise, moving in a precision with a logic we don’t understand. There seems to be no set gender but a welcoming space where anyone can become what they want. Bodies slide around music and the walls themselves can’t contain the energy.

A World Without Constructs

Scenic designer Robinson and lighting designer Curley show us a queer space that explodes into the cosmos. They create a foundation for choreographer Lisa Fagan and costume designer Matsushima to embody a flowing and precise portrait of the universe sending itself. They showed us a world without constructs.

Like ABBA And Styx Getting Into A Musical Bar Fight

We counted and it took three people to put the score of this show together. Johanson’s composition sounds like ABBA and Styx getting in a musical bar fight (if you’re old enough to get this reference take your pills) It is the work of the orchestrators and the programmers that bring this small but mighty orchestra to life. Also, the band had to be its character with its choreography further melting traditional roles of theatre into this glorious melting pot of an opera.

Posterity

Who gets to decide what artists owe their posterity? Do they owe it to us to be bisexual chaos monsters with sexual exploits so legendary cis white men exploded from the shockwaves alone? Does every female artist in history have to be our definition of a patriarchy fighter? To be honest, if they were our biographies of them would have to include the bloody violence that befell our matriarchs that fought the system. Scelsa’s libretto examines the effect our revisionist history has not just on our heroes but on us. What do we owe our posterity? Maybe just living and loving is enough.

Only People

The first part gives us a traditional three-part structure, the hero, their villain, and how they overcame, the second part is beautiful colorful madness. The third was dedicated to all the questions even the creators of this work were left with. There was no villain, there was no hero, there were only people. There was only a misunderstood artist and a man who had other things on his mind. How many artists get ignored now because the gatekeepers had a schedule to keep? Yet how many of us would move to hide our work for a future world that would embrace it with readiness? Hilma was forgotten by choice. She made the gutsy choice to hide her work for 20 years after her death. Most artists would want the recognition immediately. She knew she was ahead of her time and no one would know what she meant. No one understands the texture shapes or colors of her work.

EVERYONE Did The Heavy Lifting!

This is a show where you can’t pick a stand-alone performer. For once in our life we have found a group project where everyone did the heavy lifting. The collaborative feel of Hilma gave every performer (whether they were Hilma or the one-scene role of Steiner) a part of this show's greater puzzle. You can especially see this in the end when the actors have to play a fictional version of themselves. It has to look like a real dialogue but set to music. It really shows the trust they have with one another allowing each artist to explore their part fully.

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-21 La Boheme

Written By: Giacomo Puccini

Conducted By: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Presented By:

Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra

We have a confession to make. We have never seen Rent by Jonathan Larsen. We know this makes you judge us a little. What we have encountered many times in our life was La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. Dana saw the opera in its entirety when they were in Germany. Ricky has encountered multiple performances that included Mimi’s famous aria or her and Rodolfo's duet in Act One. When we heard that Yannick would be conducting this Opera in concert we expected talented Opera singers standing at music stands with a choir behind them. Little did we know that this concert would be staged by director Paula Suozzi featuring powerful singers from all around the world. Backed by a choir of amazing voices and featuring projected words of the Italian libretto translated into English we were treated to a season-closing performance that we’ll never forget.

The Strings Are A Supporting Character

The strings do most of the heavy lifting in this score. Strings are so expressive and can convey a broad array of emotions. Every way the strings can be made to vibrate (plucked, bowed, etc) creates a palette of emotional color. In this story, the strings form a foundation that nestles Mimi’s sickness, Rodolfo’s jealousy, and their love on a bed of harmony. It’s wonderful seeing the string section come together to act like a supporting character in the story.

CAST

We all have the image of an opera singer in our head. Some people still think that a Viking hat and a voice that can shatter glass are the only things required to sing opera. Yet opera singers are as much storytellers as they are musicians. To an extent, they have two jobs. If you tell a basoonist to play the notes while telling a story you’ll get chucked out of backstage. Yet opera singers can use the voice THE most expressive instrument in the world and bring the story to life. Each of these performers was powerful enough to be heard offstage. Each of them expressed a range and artistry the drew us into their character. They come from all corners of the world as well as Philadelphia and they came with the express purpose of transporting us into the world of the Latin Quarter.

A staging built in minimalism!

It was so fitting for a story about artists living in poverty to have minimal staging where the orchestra took center stage. With only five chairs and two exits Suozzi created a staging that had movement and vibrancy yet still showcased the music. The performers wore clothes out of their closets. They threw pretend pages into a fire. The choir behind them filled in parts as they were needed. We kinda want all musicals and operas to be like this from now on. What a way to showcase how little you need to tell a story,

We Can’t Wait For Next Season!

This was a great way to end a season of great performances. From what we’ve seen at the Philadelphia Orchestra they are dedicated to bringing great work by great artists both living and dead. We will be attending their performances at the Mann Center this summer and are looking forward to their upcoming season. We would tell anyone in the world that it is definitely worth coming in to see what they are going to do next

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-20 Mitsuko Uchida Plays Ravel

Conducted By: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Presented By:

Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra

The early 1900s we’re a time when artists from all walks of life were colliding together and experiencing new art and sounds that they had never encountered before. That’s why so many art forms, from Jazz, to expressionism, to drama sprung up in the cities of America and Europe. Philadelphia Orchestra created an evening of three pieces that showcased that intellectual and cultural exchange. From Ravel’s encounter with Gershwin to De Bussy’s love of a painting, and a world premiere by Valerie Coleman that explored Juba’s migration North with African Americans looking for a better life in the cities. Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and showcasing the talents of concert pianist Mitsuko Uchida it was a night that made warm memories for us all.

Making Magic Look Casual

One of the things we love about professionals is that they can look so casual while doing something that the audience thinks is magic. Uchida’s fingers frolicked and danced over the keyboard. She executed rolls and spanned keys that most of us would deem impossible. She wasn’t even looking at sheet music! Then she would take a pause and fiddle with the height of the bench or adjust her shirt before making magic again.

Weaving A Rich Tapestry

When you hear Coleman talk about what went into making this composition you thought that it was going to be a brash jazzy cacophony. What we didn’t expect was to hear a piece that had jazz baked in its DNA but but was it’s own classical creation. The rhythms and pacing of jazz, the polyrhythms and tempos, were present everywhere. We could hear them in the strings the woodwinds. It was as if the strings and woodwinds were keeping time allowing the percussion and the horns to make new magic. The horns felt like they were melting under the sun. The percussion felt watery at times. Coleman wove a rich tapestry which held the cultural memory of the Black migration North to the cities without being a pastiche or sample.

Painting Images In The Listener’s Mind

De Bussy saw this painting of the tidal wave and wanted to hear music that looked like that painting. It signalled a shift from the old style of classical music and one that was more abstract and expressive. Even though it was written decades before Little Mermaid (1989) it felt like the music for the Disney movie was inspired by it. You could hear the waves crashing, seagulls calling, and fish swimming in the sea. It’s lively sound put a images in your head. In effect De Bussy composed music inspired by a painting that inspires new images in the listener’s mind.

[rndyounghowze]

NJ-14 George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert

Presented By:

Cape May Museums Arts and Culture

We haven’t stepped through the doors of a church for many years now. Yet as we took a pew at the Episcopal Church of The Advent and saw a piano named “Emily” sitting under the stained glass, a discussion we’ve wanted to have about the arts became very apropos. Performance is itself an act of consecration. The performers come into a space and specially prepare it for a specific audience. Once the performers and audience leave the magic of the moment leaves with them. The jazz performers that night at the George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert added another layer. That piano named Emily was Mesterhazy’s piano and each of these jazz veterans are friends and colleagues of the legendary jazz player and orchestrator. Not only did they consecrate this space for a wonderful night of jazz the piano became a sacred object that not only connected them to their departed friend but also connected us to the legacy of a Jazz legend.

A Legacy Builds A Community

One of the amazing things about jazz, like most art forms of Black heritage, is that they honor the journey of the artist. Mesterhazy was a self-taught pianist but no one cares. His music came from years of sitting at the piano and learning the craft. His legacy came from decades in a community learning and teaching while playing the music. You don’t get a legacy by being able to play the piano damn well. It helps but there are thousands of people who can do that everyday. You get a legacy by building a community through music that feels sustained and fed. A community whose love and honor for you lasts long beyond the years of your life and invites complete strangers to know you.

Decades of Craft

Each of these performers are displaying decades of craft-building and forming a relationship with their instrument. We’ve heard stories of jazz artists waking up with the instrument in their hands realizing that they had fallen asleep. The instrument almost grafts itself to you and becomes a part of your body. They even get their own personalities. Blues giant BB King had Lucille, Mesterhazy had Emily. We’re not saying all of these performers have named their instruments. Yet they play in such a way that if they said “Hi this is my guitar Georgina” we’d say “Well Georgina can really cook”.

Jazz With A Capital “J”

Beyond craft there’s an artistry. There’s a beauty that can’t be explained (but we’re going to try anyway). Notes hung in the air. They knew when to speed up and when to slow down. This is the kind of music that lures everyone in. This is the kind of music that you can’t believe is contained in staffs, keys, rhythms and meters. It’s why they say jazz is what happens between the notes. Each of these performers have been gigging and communing together for so long that they even take it a step further. The true jazz is what happens between the performers. A dialogue between them all and that acknowledgement that there is an invisible member in the band adding their own energy. Us, them, and George are making JAZZ with a capital “J”.

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-19 The Look Of Love

Music By: Burt Bacharach and Hal David

Choreographed By: Mark Morris

Presented By: Mark Morris Dance Group

We got the wonderful chance to meet Mark Morris at a reception. In the five minutes that we talked with him he expressed how the people that owned Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s music begged him not to make a “jukebox”. The temptation to do this is strong, in fact it has been in the musical “Promises Promises”. Morris, a rogueish and loud personality. Seems to have taken this to heart. He seems the kind of artist that likes to both celebrate his peopl and play with audience expectations. He seems like the kind of artist that will place “The Blob” (lyrics by Mack David) in the middle of a night of love songs. We heard many audience members voicing their concern about what the story of the night was. We heard a couple snippets of conversation voicing disappointment that there wasn’t a synopsis of the story in the program. With great music by iconic artists and choreography by a celebrated artist it seems almost inevitable. Yet this frustration was a great reminder of why we love writing for audiences like this. We get to remind them that audience’s are greatest story tellers on the planet.

We have to start with this music. You may think that you’ve never heard Bacharach and David’s music before but check any movie, TV show, or commercial from the past forty years and you’ll find a sample. Bacharach’s unique style on the piano takes center stage. Many of the melodies and soulful chords are ready to take you on a calming ride. David’s lyrics like “raindrops keep falling on my heads” bounce on Bacharach’s music like a kid on a trampoline. You would never think that such a playful lyricist and a soulful composer would combine to make a match made in heaven. Yet you can’t imagine David’s lyrics without the rhythm or the style of Bacharach’s piano. And you can’t listen to those tunes on the piano without humming David’s lyrics. They’re as inseparable as Dana and coffee.

Morris created a choreography that channeled that serious playfulness perfectly. He played with the recurring motifs and wordplay of David’s lyrics and turns them into actions that change as they repeat. Throughout “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” the partners separate and come together at the last moment. At the final moment the last dancer is left standing as his partner walks away and the lights fade. This kind of choreo is how Morris embodies both the spirit of the music but the letter of the lyrics.

Yet this creates a unique problem where Morris and his troupe of dancers are too good at what they do. The choreography is so memorable that we can’t shake it from our minds when the lights go down. The audience is not an Etch-A-Sketch. They remember what they just saw and the rest of the dances imprint new images on the old ones. That means that, while there is no story being told in this piece, the audience is smart and connects moments they’re watching with the good choreo they just saw. Morris isn’t a story teller. He’s a choreographer. You have to remember that the audience is the best storyteller on the planet. They amazingly made connections out of nothing.

We have to spare a moment for the musicians that exuded such a casual playfulness. They set the mood for the whole performance. It can be hard to do technical music like this and make it seem casual. Yet that is exactly what we saw. We owe a big shoutout to Ethan Iverson on the piano and Marcy Harriel killing it on the lead vocals. They were a match made in heaven.

These are the kinds of performers that you want to see sharing the stage. Morris confirmed for us that these are all dancers in their thirties and forties. These are performers with years behind them. They know what they can and can’t do with their bodies. That means when they execute a move, when they do a lift, when they throw themselves at their partner they are doing it with the absolute conviction of a veteran performer. They can live in the moment and embody the mood of the music.

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-13 Salonen Conducts Sibelius

Philadephia Orchestra

Conducted By:

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Presented At: Kimmel Center Verizon Hall

This week marks the beginning of a two-week residency for Salonen at the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Finnish-born conductor now splits time between London and San Francisco. But this past weekend and the next he’s bringing deeply personal musical pieces with him to The Philadelphia Orchestra. This week was a showcase of a piece called “Radical Light” by his late friend Steven Stucky. Then he collaborated with Ricardo Morales on the clarinet to bring his original composition “Kinema” to Verizon Hall. Ending the performance was a stunning rendition of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s “Symphony No. 5". The performances were captivating and showcased the skill of highly seasoned musicians.

Radical Light

Certain composers write music for strings that feel like choreographers instead. Stucky wrote pieces for strings that play with delay, echo, and unison. If you were listening to this song on the radio it would sound like a cascade of strings on a bed of woodwinds and brass crashing into a floor of percussion. Watching it in person we say a sea of violin bows moving in such a pattern that it felt like they were dancing. Violinists have so many ways to attack the strings. You can pluck them, bow them, strike them, etc. This makes the very act of playing a bowed instrument a unique drama style. What is very interesting about the end of a symphony piece is when the last musical strains hang in the air and the entire hall is silent. No one knows whether to clap or not. They are ready at any moment for the music to start again. Or maybe they aren’t ready to leave the immersive musical world that Stucky’s piece put us in.

Kinema

We both saw this piece featuring soloist Morales in two ways. In one way Morales looks like he was extracting the highly technical piece from the clarinet. His fingers worked over the instrument as if they were forcing the notes out of a reluctant woodwind. Yet he also looked like a veteran musician standing over the sheet music with the concentration of a surgeon and the clarinet was his scalpel. Together he and his instrument interpreted the five musical vignettes or scenes (Kinema is Finnish for “Scene”) as if the notes had always been there. Salonen the composer is standing not five feet away yet Morales makes the pieces feel authorless, as if they had always been there. This happens when a masterful composer's musical piece is interpreted by a musician who has spent decades honing their craft. It takes decades of training to make the notes feel that spontaneous.

Sibelius Symphony No. 5

Sibelius received the commission for this piece on his 50th birthday. Historians note that he got inspiration for part of the piece by watching a flock of swans fly away towards the sun. That’s probably why so much of the music sounds like springtime. Dana could hear flowers blooming. Raindrops were falling from the strings section. Ricky heard an earthy sound in the contrabassoon and the woodwinds. We have a feeling that with the tensions of World War I coming up, and Sibelius contemplating this stage in his life he wanted to create a piece that eased tension (don’t quote us we’re not psychic). That’s immediately what this symphony feels like for us. It’s an easing of tension. Salonen led the orchestra through the piece at an even pace. He led us through those moments of tension and release and made sure that we could feel each one of them. By the time the last four staccato notes played into the quiet hall, you could feel the pressure released from the audience by their exuberant cheers.

[rndyounghowze]

NJ-6 Paranormal Cirque 3

Part Of: Cirque Italia

Directed By: Rafinha Salgueiro

Presented By: Paranormal Cirque

Many things have happened in our lives at the Hamilton Mall. Dana used to work retail there. We have gotten the call that pulled us out of homelessness at the Olive Garden nearby. We have also cobbled a car muffler back together in the parking lot. There are a lot of family memories tied up in that central location. Little did we know another family was ready to make us a different kind of memory in that same parking lot. It was a memory made of fire, rope, and high wire. It was memories made of jaw dropping, sexy, and raunchy moments. It was circus artists from Cirque Italia’s third troupe of “Paranormal Cirque”. Some came from long lines of circus families. Some were performers joining their first tour. All of them were ready to blow our minds!

Welcome To The Graveyard

To truly understand what paranormal Cirque is all about we have to start with the lore. The idea is you are now trapped in this creepy circus tent with the lost souls of former circus performers. There’s no way out except to watch the entire show. Don’t threaten us with a good time! An adorable little boy on a tricycle a la Saw gives us the creepiest pre-curtain speech ever while we wait for the denizens of Paranormal Cirqu to invade. Then enter the sexiest, creepiest, and somehow most hilarious you’ve ever seen in the center ring. This two-act show features a rotating cast of performers from all over the world. There are acts from juggling to Wheel of Death and everything in between. Be prepared to be scared, and excited, and laugh your assets off. These grim-grinning ghosts have a show for you!

We Felt Like Kids Again!

Circus has always been a huge part of our lives. We bonded over what acts we liked the most. We each have circus memories from childhood. However, as animals rights supporters and “refined” theatre critics we always thought the circus was out of reach. Yet Cirque Italia’s Paranormal Cirque 3 brought the circus back to us in a big way. Although no humans were harmed in the making of our circus experience, the extreme acts and the creative story left us on the edge of our seats. What are the things that your parents always warn you about? Don’t go too high or fast. Don’t play with fire. Now just imagine performers going higher, faster, and hotter. Did you know that Paranormal Cirque has three troupes that tour the US and Canada? There’s no excuse to miss this great show!

We felt welcome.

There are still places for us where we feel like we don’t belong for some reason. But, Paranormal Cirque was warm and welcoming, if not a little scary. Dana is very creepy at heart (Ricky is still looking for evidence of said heart) The second they saw a black and white striped tent and people dressed in all black with bloody-style face paint Dana was home. The audience was a mix of locals and elder adults. There were also some hardcore fans that follow the Cirque from town to town. Then there’s your friendly neighborhood RnD. We dressed up in our best black and red ensembles but we would have been just as comfortable in jeans and Eagles T-shirt. Dana likes to call some things “no class culture”. It means anyone from anywhere at any tax bracket would feel at home. The staff was super friendly and guided us to our seats. They answered any questions we had and even posed for pictures. Despite the lack of littles (it’s what we call those fruits of the womb) it felt like a family atmosphere. It’s a circus for the kid in every adult.

Hair-Raising Acts

Hair Hang: We’ve seen the hair hang a couple times now and we still want to know their hair care routine. In this act this woman is a victim of a chainsaw killer waking up and realizing she’s been hung up and rigged for butchering. So adding that story element means every “trick” was her futile attempt to escape.

High Wire Motorcycle Trapeze: We’re loathe to describe it because that’s what it literally is. Yet imagine a motorcycle balancing on a high wire with a trapeze welded under it. Now imagine the biker and the aeriallist are both doing acrobatics. Even with all that imagination it was better than that.

Crossbow: Imagine a knife throwing act but instead they’re shooting crossbow bolts around their partner. Sounds simple but you will be screaming and gasping.

Spanish Web: One woman, one rope, and one sub���I mean man…spinning the rope. With just one loop she’s spun by her hands and feet at high speeds and we are holding our breath the whole time.

A Coterie Of Cirque!

This is a sampling of the performers and acts you might see when you go. However, the roster and acts vary from show to show and even night to night.We enjoyed every single act but we can’t create a 10K word review.

Before You Go

This Is Not For Kids: Between sexy half naked people, implied “murder” and language we’d leave the littles with grandma. The Cirque won’t let children under 13 in at all. The are other rules for children 13-17.

BRING CASH: There is food, souvenirs, facepainting, and (cough cough) beer. Everything must be purchased with cash. There some cool stuff you’ll definitely want.

Keep Your Stuff On You: We made the mistake of kicking our stuff under the bleachers and theres nothing under there but concrete. Ricky had to crawl under and get it. Best to keep big items in your car and just bring your wallet and tickets.

Come as you are or goth yourself up just don’t wear a costume or a mask. You will not be allowed in. There ARE masks you can buy when you’re in there. (Hence why you should bring cash.)

[rndyounghowze]

NYC-22

Bettye And The Jockettes

Written By: Christie Perfetti Williams

Directed By: Sara Thigpen

Presented By: Retro Productions

We were just talking about wanting a nice show with a clean happy ending. It’s nice to see a hard hitting drama or topical piece on current events. But then sometimes we’re a sucker for sappy rom-coms. It's also great to see a funny female centered drama that feels like the drama or the comedy isn’t forced. Bettye and The Jockettes by Christie Perfetti Williams are D for “All of the Above”. Directed by Sara Thigpen Retro Productions is on the air and ready to make you laugh.

Closed Door Meetings

There’s a certain amount of genius that happens when you’ve been writing for so long. Williams (who has been writing for 20 years) found a very great solution to a problem we’ve had for years. We hate when we feel that there’s an invisible “play on the other side of the door” that the plot relies on. Williams gets around this by having characters talk in the sound booth while we watch through the glass. It means that the characters can still have their “closed door meetings” but we’re clued into what’s going on.

Kept The Plates Spinning

Black boxes are sometimes the hardest but most rewarding stages to direct for. In each corner of the stage there could be multiple parts of the stories going on at once. Thigpen had to keep two or more storyline plates spinning and make sure that blocking and business never had performers running into each other. Also she had to draw our focus where it was needed. She found ways to draw our focus to booth or stage right or left when needed. Thigpen knew how to keep the plates spinning and create wonderful stage pictures in such a short place. Making a tiny space like that look large is a huge talent.

So Much Out of So Little

This was one of our favorite sets we’ve seen this year so far. Barber created a set that had depth and a life in such a small space. It also felt lived in and fatigued. Ricky used to design and build small sets like this so they recognized the hustle required to make so much out of so little. Yet it’s so highly functional and makes so much out of so little.

The Happy Ending The Works Best For Them

In a world full of plays that end on a very “meh” note it was beautiful to see a well written story with well-developed characters that has a happy ending. Happy endings aren’t anathema to good storytelling. More importantly women-centric stories are allowed to have a mix of characters of all shapes and sizes. They are all allowed to get what they want. Their happy endings don’t have to be romantic either. They get the happy ending that works best for them.

NYC-23

Redemption Story

Written By: Peregrine Teng Heard

Directed By: Sarah Blush

Presented By: The Associates

“What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly”. Morticia Addams said that. We’ve all heard how the Hollywood machine can chew young hopefuls for breakfast and spit them out. This is not a question. No matter how bad it is now it used to be much much worse. Peregrine Teng Heard brings us into the parlor of Connie Lee, a washed-up Hollywood star who takes in baby-faced Billy Jay. Directed by Sarah Blush this story of Hollywood in the 70's will make you want to binge some classic Noir movies...and then take a shower.

A Predatory Hunger

This story centers on Connie’s mutation of Billy from the good boy from Astor to a Hollywood shill. In that plot, we feel a predatory hunger. That is somewhat mirrored and echoed in Billy’s other relationships (Except for Eva). Yet the other characters seemed to pull away from instead of supporting Connie and Billy’s main thread. For example, as the parallels between Billy and her son Harrison deepen our understanding of Connie’s pathology, we don’t feel Harrison needs to say a word. There is something more substantial about him as a looming threat than a real human being. When he finally speaks we thought he was a figment of Connie’s drug-fueled imagination.

Silence Spoke Volumes

Directing for alley staging is no easy feat. The stadium-style seating creates a chilling challenge, If one side of the audience sees what’s going on does the other side miss it? Or does one side get the big reveal sooner than the other? Blush handled all of this as if it were second nature. Due to no fault to Blush, some of the entrances and exits were clunky. However, that could be an occupational hazard of working on a stage like this.

Blush’s direction was mostly seen when characters had to break and become part of the crew telling Connie’s story. There’s a choreography to these scenes played mainly in silence that spoke volumes.

LORT Quality

We know how hard it is to design sets for a black box space on a budget. We know it’s almost impossible to create a set that looks LORT quality in a black-box setting. It was minimal and versatile. He created a realistic diner/apartment that allowed the performers to move around freely. Qiu’s lighting design felt like it came directly from a Noir movie. The most masterful lighting designers seem to work with shadows instead of light. Qiu’s lighting played with shadows and highlights bouncing off the glossy and leather surfaces. It enhanced that mysterious effect. We must mention the big spotlight that would occasionally invade the stage. It created a surprising and stark contrast to the rest of the staging. It immediately put us in a different world.

Containing Multitudes

These were the best performers for the parts. Each performer was able to embody the complexity of the roles. None of these characters are surface-level. Each of them is multi-layered and contains multitudes. They were able to access this complexity. They could plumb the depths, chart the expanse of these characters, and interpret them onstage. The performance is the key to this story. Each of these performers was our handhold throughout.

[rndyounghowze]

NJ-5 Tick…Tick…BOOM!

Written By: Jonathan Larson

Script Consultation By David Auborn

Directed By: David Saint

Presented By: George Street Playhouse

When we first saw this musical it was nine years ago and right before our wedding. Also Dana was three months away from turning thirty. Jonathan Larson’s 30/90 would play on their iPod every birthday. We were still living with family and we couldn’t land into a job that made it possible to move out. We felt a lot like Jon in this musical, like we were running out of time. Yet we watched George Street Playhouse’s version Directed by David Saint and we realized that we might all be getting the message of this musical wrong.

Someone Aware Of Life’s Frailty

This script loses most of its punch if we forget that it was written on the tail end of the AIDS epidemic. Larson was hitting 30 at the end of a decade when a lot of the gay male performers around him wouldn’t live to see their thirtieth. It isn’t expressly said in the script but you can feel Larson’s rage coming through lines. This isn’t a play about a quarter life crisis. This is a story of someone who is all to aware of life’s frailty fighting to make a difference before his time is up.

Oppressive Feeling Of Downtown NYC

We don’t know whether it was O’Gara’s lighting design or Geoge’s set design but the use of neon lights and harsh colors was a very effective choice. It made that oppressive feeling of downtown NYC that we all know. They came together to great effect in the Superbia number with the neon light bars coming down onto the stage. It easily matched the superb-ness of the song.

Making The Most Of Three Bodies Onstage

I would love to give mad props to Rice-Thomson’s choreography for making the most out of the three bodies onstage. Not only that but he created a choreo that was funny and told the story. Both of the supporting performers are playing multiple characters and Thomson created dances that highlighted each character. You see this the best in the Twinkie song where John Yi (a performer we’ve seen very capable of movement) is still dancing hunched over like his senior store owner. Thomson created great moments like these throughout the show.

Jon’s friend Michael and girlfriend Susan really hold the crux of the whole play. On one side you have Susan asking how long you can defer your dreams for others. On the other you have Michael who chased luxury until he realized he wasn’t going to be well enough to enjoy it. They provide the false choice of being “legit” or settling for less. Yet the lesson is about living the life you want to without compromising.

Marconi personified the essence of Jon perfectly. Yi did an excellent job playing a character stoutly model-like in the play. Yet he became our handhold in the play. So when he emotionally crumbles the most at the end it’s a testament to Yi’s range. Wake was able to play two very different love interests yet we could tell them apart by the way she moved and acted. These three performers had to carry the entire weight of a legacy and a play on their shoulders. We applaud them for that.

[rndyounghowze]

Review 580 Beginners

Written By: Tim Crouch

Directed By: Marcie Bramucci

Presented By: Hedgerow Theatre and League Of Live Stream Theater

Have you ever looked at yearbook photos and thought “Holy Crow I was a child once!” Or have you ever looked at your kids and thought ”My word he’s going to grow up just like me” and then shuddered in fear. Beginners by Tim Crouch brings that thought to life. Directed by Marcie Bramucci at HedgerowTheatre this exploration into the birth and death of childhood premieres in the US for the very first time.

The Father Christmas of Theatre

We love plays that have a loose grip on reality. Crouch’s script keeps you guessing. Even if you had a detailed synopsis of the play next to you the whole time you would still be thinking “what the heck is going on”. Using multiple actors to play the same characters and other casting decisions drags emptions out of us.

When you toss realism aside you remove the barrier between the story and the viewer’s emotional center. It creates combinations of images (like an adult looking at a shadowy child version of themselves) for the viewer to latch onto. The audience grabs these symbols and unwrap them like kids on Christmas. Crouch peppers these little presents all throughout like the Father Christmas of Theatre.

Like A Sleep Over With Your Cousins

The novel premise of this play makes it an enticing project for directors to tackle. Bramucci kept things going at the perfect pace. Too fast and the plot would get lost. Two slow and the imagery would start to lose it’s magic. Bramucci also chose a very interesting audience/performer relationship using thrust staging (audience on three sides of the performers). It made the story more intimate like a sleepover with your cousins.

We did have times where the action got muddled.. It happened especially when the adult performers shared the stage with the young performer. We couldn’t tell if it was something lacking in Crouch’s writing Bramucci de or an occupational hazard of constantly mixing up age ranges and performers. Any director in the world would have the same struggle.Not many could have navigated it just like Bramucci did.

You Are The Message

Sometimes the questions you have about a play say a lot more about you than it does the creators. Some of the best plays in the world make you leave the theater with more questions than answers. That’s not a bad thing. We’re still wondering why Crouch picked this moment exactly in the characters’ lives to tell the story. Yet we both come from the “Dead Parents Brigade”. We both have moments when we wish we had the courage to express ourselves that we’re lost forever. We also come from a place of family trauma. So it’s perfectly valid that the presents we unwrapped from this come from that vein. We would want the characters to have “grown up” earlier so that they could have done the “right” thing at the ”right” time. You may watch this online and see something completely different.The parts we stumbled upon may bring you to happy tears. That’s the great part about how Crouch wrote Beginners. It feels like it was designed to bring the message out of you. Like life the play is not giving anything away for free.

[rndyounghowze]

NYC-21 Hell’s Kitchen

Book By: Kristoffer Diaz

Music and Lyrics By: Alicia Keys

Directed By: Michael Greif

Presented By: AKW Production

If you went to high school or college in the 2000's you know exactly who Alicia Keys is. Her music is the soundtrack of so many people’s lives. Anyone familiar with Keys’ story knows she grew up in an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen New York. Her music and her story provide the foundation for the book by Kristoffer Diaz laying out the story of Ali. Ali is a 17-year-old girl who wants to see the world outside her little apartment. Yet she realizes making your mark on the world also takes listening and learning. This production features directing by Michael Greif with choreography by Camille A. Brown. This cast and crew deliver a show that plucks the heartstrings and rattles our souls.

Bean can SAAAANG

Ricky has loved Bean since they first found her on Post Modern Jukebox. Bean played the mother that we all need right now. She plays a mother trying to do what she can to be there for Ali. She may not get it right but she’s willing to stay and work it out. On top of that Bean can SAAANG. She has a voice that can shake the rafters of the Shubert Theatre. She brought some heart and soul to the performance that we hadn’t seen in her before. People who know her from her previous work will see something different.

A Palpable Presence

Dixon plays an absentee father who leaves a palpable presence on the stage. You can't help but fall in love with Dixon. He has a smooth tone that doesn’t quit plucking at your heartstrings and a suave manner that wins you over (even after he breaks your heart for the third time). Davis is a dad who is clueless but trying. Davis mirrors Ali’s journey. We watch him discover that there are people with feelings other than him. Dixon humanizes Davis with that arc and shows us that it’s never too late to change.

Lewis Stole The Show

We accuse Lewis of stealing the show and never giving it back. She has a hard-earned presence from four decades of owning the stage. When Lewis sang you sat up and you paid attention. Miss Liza Jane is a woman running out of time. She needs to seize this moment to make a final impact. Lewis interprets this urgency in her voice. She says every line like it could be her last. She sings as if she is keening at her funeral.

We see you Gianna!

Understudies have one of the hardest jobs in the theater (Technically our favorite cast members but what do we know). The venue prints notices in the program. The ticket-paying audience knows you aren't the usual performer in the role. Harris took the stage and lived in Ali. She gave us the illusion that the team created the role bespoke for her. She embraced the choreo like she had been doing it all her life. Her voice filled the air. The words came out of her like she had written the lyrics herself. You would never know Harris would have to hand the role back to the lead in a day or two. Maleah Joi Moon will come back and dominate the stage like she has. Yet, we choose to hold space for Harris. We celebrate the awesome performance she gave us that Wednesday afternoon.

All 90's Yet All Original

Brown has been interpreting music and story through dance for years. She’s a master at keeping bodies moving and creating huge stage pictures. Yet she also creates a signature atmosphere. She blends hip-hop and modern dance. Old heads like us will see dances like the Stanky Leg or the Roger Rabbit and feel at home. Yet Brown ensures we know these moves live and breathe on the streets. These aren’t carbon copies of MTV they are a Camille A. Brown original.

Wall Of Sound And Light

Owen worked with the music team to create a wall of sound. He made the world inside and outside the Manhattan Plaza feel different. He created rumblings that shook the seats. He used the sounds of the city to create a roadmap for the story. Katz’s lightning design dealt with extremes. Sometimes she created a wall of lights that bombarded our senses using everything from police lights and anything else you could think of. Other times she created an entire atmosphere with three small beams of light. Our favorite signature move was choosing when to highlight the band onstage. It reminded us that the music surrounded us.

Raided Our 90's Looks

Ayite went back in time and raided our childhood closets. If you want to know what the girls Ricky was going gaga over in the 90s were wearing then look at Ali and Crystal. You can also learn Dana's spring wardrobe from 1995-99 by looking at the ensemble. Ayite raided the past and put the 90s onstage. The clothes felt like they had a life and a depth. All the clothes looked lived and worked in. There’s a reason this design is Tony-nominated.

Draw Your Own Conclusions

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that this is a sanitized version of the Hell's Kitchen that most people know from that time. Hell’s Kitchen got its name because it was so hot it had to be where the devil made his food. Now thirty years later we walk all around the area looking to get a burger without a care. We see moms in yoga pants pushing their kids in a stroller with gold chains and Gucci bags. There is a deeper theme of race and gentrification that the story only starts to scratch the surface of. We love the ambiguous non-fairy tale ending. Like a lot of shows nowadays the ending doesn’t give you a clear-cut solution. There is no moral. There is no answer. You have to draw your own conclusions.

[rndyounghowze]

PHL-12 A

Opus Variety Show

Featuring:

Asher Treleaven, MacKenzie Moltov, Iris Spectre, Eric Jaffe, Nicole Burgio, Elle Dorado, Adrienne Mora, Maria Noorigan, Storm Marrero, Balla Brothers, and Bear Trap

Presented By: Fabrika

When you walk into the doors of Fabrika you won’t be prepared for what you’re going to see. The dining room at Fabrika was converted from a Fishtown factory. It has very high ceilings and fills two stories. You sit down an hour before the show starts and start to eat delicious small plates by head chef Vlad. Yet you may be wondering “Where is the stage?” All the photos on Fabrika’s website feature this large concrete stage in the middle of the room. Then at 8 the lights dim and the Gogo Dancers come out. Soon the stage rises out of the floor on hydraulics. Leave your inhibitions and worries behind as the performers and staff at Fabrika create an evening of celebration for you!

Emcees With The Most

Treleaven has the aesthetic of a lounge lizard from the 50s but the energy of a modern hypeman. He kept the audience cheering between acts. He also kept the tone light and raunchy. The diabolo is like a certain part of the anatomy. Once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. It’s all in how you use them and Treleaven won the audience over with his. This is not the first time we have seen a performer take an angle grinder to a metal codpiece. This is the first time we have been within a few feet of the sparks. Moltov is a clown babe with an electric edge. Funny, sexy, and hardcore AF. She was our quiet guide through our entire evening. She cleaned up between each act and kept the crowd energized.

Gravity Doesn’t Exist

Great aerialists have to make you believe that gravity doesn't exist. Aerial work takes years of strength training and core work. The artistry comes from making all of those moves look effortless and graceful. There is an edge of sexiness with an obvious athleticism that you can’t ignore. You’re in awe and impressed. Mora and Noorigan were two performers who showcased great strength and flexibility yet made us believe that time slowed down. When paired together they displayed a trust and energy that looked almost serene. They made us feel we could float to the moon.

Quintuple Threats

Drag artists are the Swiss Army Knives of the arts. They can make miracles happen with fabric and props. They can dance and sing beautifully. Their jokes can have us rolling in the aisles. If some performers are triple threats any drag performer is a quintuple threat. Spectre and Jaffe are two different extremes. Spectre wowed and entertained us with her dancing. Jaffe made us blush with her naughty jokes and improv. Both of them engaged the audience. We all collectively let our guard down and joined the world of community that they made.

Big Voice! Big Energy!

When you hear Marerro’s voice you will wonder what she’s doing here. We have no clue why she’s not headlining her world tour right now. Yet, we are so happy that we got to hear her stunning voice knock everyone back. Marrero has a big voice, big energy, big...everything. She is one of those performers who owned the room and you’re just glad she didn’t charge you for breathing her air. She’s definitely someone to keep a look out for. If you’re there on a night she’s performing consider yourself lucky.

Hanging By Her What?!

Some acts look so bizarre that you have no idea where to start. Burgio is hanging by her hair. First, you notice that this act requires a lot of skill and fortitude. (And a neck made of steel) You must trust your body and training to take you in and out of turns. You cannot use your hands to stop yourself at all. Burgio makes this look fun and sexy. She swings over the faces of the front row dazzling the audience. She blows kisses to the balcony like she’s the Queen meeting her public. Then she unhooks after the act. She casually scoops up a dollar bill with her feet and casually walks off like she just got off the subway. That’s the key to a great circus artist. She does something impossible and walks off like it’s nothing.

Guardians Of Body Freedom

Elle Dorado created an atmosphere of freedom and celebration. She kept things light and funny yet brought the spiciness up to eleven. Burlesque performers are guardians of body freedom. It takes a massive amount of self-esteem to own the room like she does. You don’t have to be a former athlete like Dorado who skated competitively for years to get that kind of charisma but it helps. She shows us that we can celebrate our bodies and own ourselves. Burlesque is a celebration of the strength, beauty, and ownership of one's body. The greatest trick Elle Dorado pulls is making the audience feel as comfortable and confident as she is.

Muscles of Steel

We don’t know what relationship you have with your brother but if either of our own family said that they were going to balance on our back and start juggling we would ask them what they were smoking. The Balla Brothers (Guinness World Record Holders) take the word trust fall to the next level. They do tricks that take muscles of steel. They do flips that showcase years of training. One of the biggest secrets to partner work is that the person on the bottom is strong as nails but the person on top is (all puns intended) doing the heavy lifting.

Yet, the biggest impact is that they love and trust each other. They emanate a sense of brotherly love and excitement that Philadelphia would be proud of.

Impeccable Charisma

Bear Trap was the performer that surprised us the most. You meet a performer in a Phillies uniform and think you’re about to see a burly display of muscles. Yet then the clothes come off and we see the corset and bra, even the Phillies-branded pasties. That was how we found that Bear Trap is a performer full of surprises.

Bear Trap defies expectations and definitions. He’s elegant in one moment and hilarious the next. He injects the whole performance with an infusion of cheekiness (not that kind). He doesn’t take himself seriously. Yet he does have some kind of charisma that woos us all. He allows us to have fun even as we’re blushing.

PHL-12 B

We both loved sharing our wild clubbing stories from our youth when we were dating. There are certain things you’re willing to put up with when you’re in your 20s. You’ll hop into any rando’s car for a ride. You’ll drink cocktails mixed in a kiddie pool. You’ll even walk outside the house with little clothes, less money, and a whisper of a plan. Then you grow up. Your friends start to get married. You have a family and a job that you’d like to see tomorrow. Where are the grown and sexy supposed to go to have a fun time? Fabrika in Philadelphia is just the place for you. We haven’t found a place that is more fun, more safe, and more sexy!

The first thing you’re going to notice about Fabrika is that it is swanky. You have two stories of a factory floor retrofitted into a space built for celebration, fine dining, and performance. There are couches lining the central dance floor and tables spread out from there. You can look up and see tables lining the railing. Ricky, the former rigger and techie points to the black automated winch above us and says, “the aerialists are going to be flying over our heads”. (They’re not, that would be unsafe. But the couches and the balcony tables are REALLY close.) Michael Sobolewski, co-owner of Fabrika, wanted to show us the best the venue had to offer. That means sitting in the VIP couches with a complimentary bottle of champagne. We were invited to get whatever food we wanted. The doors open at 6:30 and the Opus Variety show starts at 8:00. That means you have time before the lights dim and the party starts to eat and get buzzed.

Dana’s a secret (as “secret” as Victoria’s) foodie and we have eaten around the world. For our honeymoon we made a Michelin Chef sweat by asking him to “just make us whatever you want”. So when we tell you this food was some of the freshest we’ve ever tasted believe us. The ingredients, from veggies to ahi tuna were so fresh we’d swear they have a farm and fishery on the roof. Also the potatoes reminded us of Papas Bravas we had in Spain. A few of our favorites were the spring rolls, mango shrimp, potatoes, and the crème brûlé. However, EVERYTHING we ate was amazing.

The mango shrimp were shockingly balanced. The mango was fresh, sweet and ripe. The sauce was savory, sweet, and spicy. No one flavor overpowered the other. The spring rolls were the freshest we ever had. We decided to get the vegan ones. You could taste every single veggie and herb that was wrapped inside. It was delicate but crunchy and substantial. The peanut dipping sauce was top tier. The crème brûlée was the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s a dessert that finishes the meal perfectly by not being too sweet. It was almost savory thanks to the flavor of the sage (Ricky loved the popcorn that was served on top the best).

The three places we feel the most at home is in Philly, the Circus, and Digital Theatre. Fabrika has two of the three. Yet they have something more. When we looked around we saw people who looked just like us. Married couples, friends who left their spouses and kids at home, people celebrating a big event. Fabrika claims it doesn’t go for a certain demographic. We feel with their unique approach that you don’t have to. Fabrika is the combination of three unique things: Five Star Dining, A Burlesque Show, and a Night Club. They had the audacity to make sure each of the three was well respected and well done. You don’t feel like you’re going to get approached or hit on. You feel like you can yell “nice top!” at the person dancing next to you and join a dance circle (or not) and then limp your old bones back to your table and see a half naked clown swallow a balloon. A wonderful community of patrons is the fruit of that hard work.

Eat as many of the sushi tacos as you can get your hands on! They are the best thing on the menu and we went back for them twice. Deep fried seaweed wrap should be the shell for every taco now. Light crispy and reminiscent of tempura. The tacos themselves were filled with ahi tuna that felt like it was fished out of the ocean that morning.

If we were budgeting with our money we would make a “meal” out of the small plates. We would keep the fried potatoes spring rolls, and the sushi tacos coming and share them with the table. It’s more than enough food for the two of us and perfect for date night. We’d love to see more “sharables”on the menu for large parties or those with bigger appetites. This isn’t the atmosphere for bar pretzels and nachos but a double size of the small plates for parties of 4+ sounds lovely.

It’s okay to throw money at the performers! All tips go straight to them. You might be able to throw blank checks and credit cards (or keys to BMW’s) if you want but check with management first. Also with servers like ours (shoutout to Foster), you’re going to want to tip in cash and over the 20%. Even though our food was comped we made sure Foster was taken care of. (IYKYK)