#Charles G. LaPointe

[historyhermann]

Milton Township and the story of the Saratoga County Almshouse in 1900

Saratoga County Alms House served Saratoga's paupers for almost ninety years. Women lived in the east wing, men lived in the west wing, and administration operated in the center. Possibly salvaged from the 1827 Poorhouse, was a two-story frame house. Barns and farm outbuildings were located to the north. The Almshouse was demolished in 1960. Today, on the site, are located both the Saratoga County Jail and Sheriff's Department, along with the Saratoga County Highway Department. Photograph is courtesy of the Saratoga County Historical Society. Here is a related postcard.

Recently, as I was updating my mom's family tree, using varied resources on the internet and photographs I have at my disposal, I stumbled across a list of "inmates" in Milton Township, within New York's Saratoga County. These men were part of the "Saratoga County Alms House." The 1900 U.S. Federal Census gives an opening into this history of this facility, telling more of the story.

Reprinted from my History Hermann WordPress blog.

This census shows 62-year-old married man named Charles Spaulding as the superintendent of the house, along with his 36-year-old wife Carolina as a matron. He is also living with his daughter Elizabeth (age 22), a dress maker, his son Charles G. (age 16) at school, a 27-year-old named Edward Lapoint as Assistant Superintendent, Florence Morehouse as a 28-year-old cook, Margaret Willis as a 31-year-old housekeeper and her recently born daughter, Edith M. Most of these individuals, with the except of Spaulding, were born in New York, who was born in Vermont.

Then we get to the 70 inmates of this poorhouse/almshouse. Most of them, apart from five Black Men, were White. The majority of those in this facility were also male (46 of them), but a significant number were female (23 of them). In terms of their age, of those whose age was known, they averaged at 66 years old, if you round down. [1] Of the eight individuals whose year of immigration was known, they generally came in approximately 1851 to the United States. The facility, however, consisted of many foreign-born individuals:

*only includes those whose birthplace is known.

In 1864, this same almhouse was crowded, with "lunatic inmates" with some in restraints, a supply of water but "no bath tub" along with no "ventilation or uniformity of heat in winter" and the house is "old and badly dilapidated" with rooms that are "out of repair, and the air in the sleeping rooms most foul and noisome" but it is is "kept in as good order as possible." This same assessment said that there was no improvement between 1857 and 1864. It is known how much these conditions changed or stayed the same between 1864 and 1900. The placed seemed to change, since one 1907 article titled "Supervisors in Session" declared that the facility is one the best in New York State, saying:

"the general air of the almshouse is homelike and not institutional, and the institution is managed economically and thoughtfully."

Add to this a 1907 report by the State Board of Charities of New York State notes the facility sits on a 127 acre farm and has a capacity of 150 people. This report notes that the facility consists of varied buildings, with recent improvements, steam heating, electric lighting, and adequate ventilation. Buttressing this a 1904 note that the facility was exhibited by the State Board of Charities. Being that the case, it was not "hellish" like it had been in 1864. Other reports add that there were many persons they considered "feeble-minded or idiotic" (whether they were accurate or not in this assessment is not known) within the facility, but that this is not the majority. This facility was also different than that in 1864 because this almhouse replaced the one is disrepair in 1876, the same one described as horrible in a paragraph noted above.

Other than this, little is known about the almshouse. It clearly occupied a "central position" in Millston, aiming for the "accommodation of the poor of both towns" with an "agent resident in the house, who keeps an account of all disbursements which he is to render to the overseers." A 1910 table of the U.S. Census table of "Paupers in almhouses" lists 100 individuals as within, an increase from 70 in 1900, in the Saratoga County Almshouse. One photograph of the almshouse in 1903 makes it seem desolate but tidy, if that makes sense:

Courtesy of Harvard College.

Even though little is known, with not many hints on genealogical websites, the historian's office of Millstone, New York, Ballston Spa Public Library's collections, even a back-and-forth discussion on an ancestry.com forum gives some clues, but doesn't provide much. There is no doubt that those who were considered "different" like those who were transgender but seen by medical and enforcement bodies as having "mental issues." However, if the facilities were anything like the almshouse in Schenectady County, the keeper of the poor house (in this case  the superintendent) provided "food and clothing for the inmates" and there were weekly examinations of "the management, condition, and usage" of the area by inmates. These facilities were also, like those in Maryland, "primary public institution[s] for the destitute," lasting for many years. This facility was undoubtedly different than the Philadelphia Bettering House in which sickened Maryland soldiers spent time during the Revolutionary War. Virginia Commonwealth University succinctly summarizes poorhouses or almshouses, while relating it to New York in a sense:

In 1824, New York State enacted the County Poorhouse Act, a measure that directed each county to erect one or more poorhouses to care for the “worthy poor.” Expenses for building and maintaining these institutions were to be paid by tax funds levied by the county government. About the time the Civil War ended, a number of state institutions were being erected to care for specific populations deemed unsuitable for being cared for in county poor houses, e.g., the insane, the disabled, children, women.

That does not mean that the facilities were always in the best interest of these individuals but they served a societal purpose to those who wanted to keep "different"/"unsuitable" people off the streets. In that way, it pushed away social problems to a place where people couldn't see them, allowing them to ignore glaring inequities and inequalities in their societies.

While the New York Censuses of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses from 1830-1920 could contain valuable information about the Saratoga County Almshouse (like this entry), in this case, it is better to look at the census itself. [2] This census shows that those in the town were working class. They were lumbermen, saw mill laborers, teamsters, farm laborers, farmers, miller, ice taker, and so on. This article is only dipping one's toe into the sea of research, but it provides a start into this important topic.

© 2017-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] If you round down from 66.3555555555555556.

[2] Then historian of Saratoga County, Lauren Roberts, even found "a book of the county's poorhouse records dating back to mid-1800s. The book is kept in a basement vault with other irreplaceable records and lists the names and vital information of hundreds of children who were left at facilities in Saratoga County and surrounding areas because their parents died or were unable to care for them." Sadly, this cannot be used here as it is in the wrong time period, but is worth study in the future. However, one ledger of "Paupers Admitted to the Poor House'' of Saratoga from November 1893 to October 1935 has been given to the county historian of Saratoga County. That could add more information about this facility's inmates.

[larryland]

by Roseann Cane

Information about the HAM4HAM Lottery

  Yes: it’s every bit as good as you’ve heard.

  There are many reasons why Hamilton has exceeded the ticket sales, awards, and critical acclaim of every previous Broadway show. It is unlike any musical that preceded it, combining a glorious mixture of music styles (hip hop, blues, soul, pop, jazz, and traditional show tunes). This narrative of the original immigrants to the U.S., our founding fathers and mothers, is played by a very contemporary American cast that is a glorious mixture of ethnicities, mostly non-white. Lin-Manuel Miranda has created a brilliantly sly commentary on today’s politics and racism by retelling America’s political history, the history of immigrants and outsiders.

  The music is nonstop. There may be one or two spoken lines. The show is ruthlessly dynamic, moving through the story ever more quickly and thoroughly on designer David Korins’s grand, cavernous set with a revolving stage, within Howell Binkley’s dazzling light design. Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography is as inventive and acrobatic as it is graceful, executed remarkably by the huge (and hugely talented) cast. Paul Tazewell’s costumes, authentically Colonial with an occasional soupcon of the surreal, are outstanding. 

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Visually and audibly electrifying as it is, I was caught unaware by Hamilton’s emotional impact. Alexander Hamilton (Edred Utomi), Eliza Hamilton (Hannah Cruz), Aaron Burr (Josh Tower), George Washington (Paul Oakley Stovall), Thomas Jefferson (Bryson Bruce, who also plays the Marquis de Lafayette), and King George (Peter Matthew Smith), among so many others, are fully realized characters, and while Hamilton is often hilarious, it is just as often heartwrenching. While engaging us fully in the triumphs and tragedies in individual lives, Miranda manages to simultaneously make us think about what or who, exactly, shapes national history. “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?”   

  I was a bit disappointed in the acoustics: the orchestra at times seemed too loud, making it difficult to hear some lyrics. I’m not technically savvy enough to understand exactly why this happened, although I have experienced this problem before with musicals at Proctors. Perhaps some of the instrumentals are recorded rather than live, challenging the relationship between singer and orchestra.  More’s the pity, because in my opinion, as remarkably good as the music is, Miranda’s way with words is phenomenal.  

  If it were possible, I’d seize the opportunity to see Hamilton again to try and catch the lyrics I missed, because yes, it’s every bit as good as you’ve heard.

Hamilton, book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow), directed by Thomas Kail, runs August 13-25, 2019 at Proctors Theatre, 432 State Street, Schenectady, NY. Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, music Supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe.

Information about tickets to Hamilton

Information about the HAM4HAM Lottery

CAST

REVIEW: “Hamilton” at Proctors by Roseann Cane Information about the HAM4HAM Lottery Yes: it’s every bit as good as you’ve heard.

[newyorktheater]

   Beetlejuicethe Broadway musical differs in crucial ways from Tim Burton’s 1988 comic horror movie, as the character Beetlejuice himself (portrayed by Alex Brightman) makes clear from his first appearance on stage.

The musical begins with the funeral for Lydia’s mother, with the teenage Lydia (Sophia Anne Caruso) singing movingly of her loss.

Suddenly, there’s Beetlejuice perched on the coffin

“Holy crap! A ballad already?” he exclaims, shattering the melancholy mood. “And such a bold departure from the original source material.”

If you remember the movie (and I didn’t; I watched it again this week on Amazon), Beetlejuice doesn’t appear until about the half-way mark, and his high octane obnoxiousness and show biz wisecracking are delivered in memorable but limited doses. The musical’s Beetlejuice, hyper and foul-mouthed, takes center stage nearly from the get-go, and without letup. Most to the point, the demon sets the turbo-charged pace and loud tone for the entire proceedings. I’d say this was a fatal mistake, but in a musical comedy about death and the netherworld, that might sound like a good thing.

Still, if you can tolerate the bombardment, and don’t mind sappy scenes mixed in with the comically macabre plot, Beetlejuice the musical does have its pleasures – principally a few standout performances and especially the vivid visuals.

The  story in outline is more or less the same as in the movie. Young couple Adam Maitland (Rob McClure) and his wife Barbara (Kerry Butler)  die by falling through a hole in their living room. Lydia’s father Charles  (Adam Dannheisser) moves in with his family.  Adam and Barbara don’t want them in their house, and Beetlejuice tries to scare them away, but it backfires. Lydia, wearing black and in mourning for her mother, makes a connection with the deceased couple. Beetlejuice would like to make a connection with Lydia…by marrying her.

Alex Brightman, who scored big as the original star of School of Rock, makes the most of the meta theatrical wisecracking in “Beetlejuice”; does what he can with Beetlejuice’s crude jokes; wears out his welcome (through no fault of his own) with the character’s extended hyper-adrenalized antics.  But the musical’s “departure from the original source material” helps create showcases for a couple of the other cast members.  Leslie Kritzer portrays Delia, whom Charles hired to be Lydia’s life coach, and is secretly having an affair with Charles. Kritzer makes comic hay from quoting her conman guru Otho (Kevin Moon Loh), e.g.: “Sadness is like kale salad. No one likes it. Throw it out.”

Sophia Anne Caruso, 17, who has wowed New York theatergoers for years with her startling talent and uncomfortable precocity in such shows as The Netherand Lazarus,  has a show-stopping number early in Beetlejuice, “Dead Mom.”  Despite the cheeky tone of that song, the musical allows her to mourn, which makes her character less of a cartoon. But then Lydia tries to enter the Netherworld to retrieve her loved one – a plot served to much better effect by another new Broadway musical, Hadestown, especially musically.

Indeed, few of the songs by Eddie Perfect are anything more than serviceable in Beetlejuice, though the lyrics can be clever and funny. They can also be puerile and profane.

The book, too, by (former New York Magazine drama critic) Scott Brown and Anthony King, feels at odds with itself. At the end of “Beetlejuice,” there is a sentimental family reconciliation and also a crass, loud game show parody – reflecting the two contrasting, and conflicting, tones of the show. I suppose mentioning these could be considered spoiler, if they weren’t both so overdone and predictable.

Yet, one aspect of “Beetlejuice” does stand out — its design. This makes sense. The movie won its sole Academy Award for best makeup. Five of the seven Drama Desk Award nominationsthat Beetlejuice the musical received this afternoon were for its design, as were three of the four Outer Critics Circle Award nominations.(Both also nominated Leslie Kritzer.)

Set designer David Korins (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen) gives a Tim Burton vibe to the show, not just from Beetlejuice but from other movies Burton directed, including The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, as he offers three different versions of the Victorian house — first one being restored by the Maitlands, preservationists at heart; then the tasteless redo by Charles and Lydia, and finally the ghoulish abode inhabited by, well, ghouls, once Beetlejuice takes over.   Puppet designer Mark Curry (Frozen, Young Frankenstein) brings some of the monsters from the movie to life, most effectively the giant sandworm, and creates some of his own. Jeremy Chernick and Michael Weber create the special effects, like burning hands and levitation. Costume designer William Ivey Long and projection designer Peter Nigrini do their usual spot-on spectacular jobs. As a result, when Beetlejuice suddenly replicates into a chorus line of clones, you don’t cringe, you revel in all those stripes.

  Beetlejuice. Winter Garden Theater Directed by Alex Timbers, Score by Eddie Perfect, book by Scott Brown & Anthony King, music supervision, orchestrations and incidental music by Kris Kukul, choreography by Connor Gallagher. Scenic design by David Korins, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Peter Hylenski, projection design by Peter Nigrini, puppet design by Michael Curry, special effects design by Jeremy Chernick, illusions by Michael Weber, hair & wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, make-up design by Joe Dulude. Cast: Alex Brightman, Sophia Anne Caruso, Kerry Butler, Rob McClure, Adam Dannheisser, and Leslie Kritzer, with Jill Abramovitz, Kelvin Moon Loh, Danny Rutigliano, and Dana Steingold, Tessa Alves, Gilbert L. Bailey II, Will Blum, Johnny Brantley III, Ryan Breslin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Brooke Engen, Abe Goldfarb, Eric Anthony Johnson, Elliott Mattox, Mateo Melendez, Sean Montgomery, Ramone Owens, Presley Ryan and Kim Sava. Running time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission Tickets: $69 – $300

Beetlejuice Review: A Broadway Musical From Tim Burton’s Comic Macabre Movie  Beetlejuicethe Broadway musical differs in crucial ways from Tim Burton’s 1988 comic horror movie, as the character Beetlejuice himself (portrayed by Alex Brightman) makes clear from his first appearance on stage.

[fromthe-point]

Quebec City, QC– The Golden Puck Awards Gala of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league was held tonight at the Capitole Theatre in Quebec City. Sébastien Goulet and Louis Jean from TVA Sports were brilliant in cohosting the festivities.

François Allaire, Robert Murray, Jean-Jacques Daigneault, Stéphane Fiset and Mario Tremblay are the members of the QMJHL’s 2019 Hall of Fame Class. These highly deserving inductees are a great source of inspiration for tonight’s trophy winners and nominees as well as for players throughout the league.

Here is the official list of winners:

Jean-Béliveau Trophy – Top Scorer Peter Abbandonato, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Rookie of the Year Jordan Spence, Moncton Wildcats

Paul-Dumont Trophy – Personality of the Year Alexis Lafrenière, Rimouski Océanic

Ron-Lapointe Trophy – Coach of the Year Mario Pouliot, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Michael-Bossy Trophy – Top Professional Prospect Raphaël Lavoie, Halifax Mooseheads

Humanitarian Trophy Charle-Édouard D’Astous, Rimouski Océanic

Maurice-Filion Trophy Mario Pouliot, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Frank-J.-Selke – Most Sportsmanlike and Efficient Player Peter Abbandonato, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Jacques-Plante Trophy – Goaltender with the Best Goals-Against-Average Samuel Harvey, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Émile-Bouchard Trophy – Defenseman of the Year Charle-Édouard D’Astous, Rimouski Océanic

Marcel-Robert Trophy – Scholastic Player of the Year Matthew Welsh, Charlottetown Islanders

Michel-Brière Trophy – Most Valuable Player Alexis Lafrenière, Rimouski Océanic

All-Star Teams

1st All-Star Team G      Samuel Harvey – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies D      Charle-Édouard D’Astous – Rimouski Océanic D      Noah Dobson – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies F       Alexis Lafrenière – Rimouski Océanic F       Joseph Veleno – Drummondville Voltigeurs F       Peter Abbandonato – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

2nd All-Star Team G      Tristan Côté-Cazenave – Victoriaville Tigres D      Nicolas Beaudin – Drummondville Voltigeurs D      Jared McIsaac – Halifax Mooseheads F       Ivan Chekhovich – Baie-Comeau Drakkar F       Samuel Asselin – Halifax Mooseheads F       Jimmy Huntington – Rimouski Océanic

Rookie All-Star Team G       Fabio Iacobo – Victoriaville Tigres D       Jordan Spence – Moncton Wildcats D       Lukas Cormier – Charlottetown Islanders F       Hendrix Lapierre – Chicoutimi Saguenéens F       Egor Serdyuk – Victoriaville Tigres F       Mikhail Abramov – Victoriaville Tigres

[blackinperiodfilms]

Celie (Cynthia Erivo) and Shug Avery (Jennifer Hudson) in The Color Purple on Broadway.     

Costume design by Ann Hould-Ward.

hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe. 

[christyaltomaredaily]

“Christy Altomare plays Anastasia in the musical based on the beloved animated movie, set in 1920s Europe.

Joe Dulude II, Makeup Design: For Christy’s 1920s look, I wanted her to be in trend with the style of 1920s Paris by giving her a slight smoky eye, a slight red blush on the apples of her cheeks and a red lip.  However, as she is trying to convince the Dowager Empress that she is indeed Anastasia, there needed to be a refined restraint so that the makeup accented her natural beauty and did not make her look too over the top and dramatic.  She needed to have a regal and composed feel to her look.

Charles G. LaPointe, Hair/Wig Design: Anastasia, in act two, arrives in Paris and is not only transformed by the city, she is in fact, transformed. To take her from street sweeper to Parisian glamour girl, I opted for a more traditional chignon as opposed to a finger waved bob style. This felt like a more regal choice as opposed to the ensemble, whom I wanted to feel a bit more gamine and flirtatious.  I wanted there to also be a subconscious connection between Anya and the grandmother played by Mary Beth Peil. That connection is represented in a similar styling of their wigs: soft waves off the face into a low knot. Classic.” (x)

[willsmandola]

psa

ok but for real can we please appreciate everyone who helped make anastasia the musical come alive?? the music/lyrics, the costumes, the blocking, the set, the acting, everything about it is so wonderful and magical and perfect. so many people were involved in making it what it is (orchestra, director, producer, designers, actors, the list is extensive). im just gonna list everyone i can find who deserves appreciation for this piece of art!

creative: Darko Tresnjak (director), Peggy Hickey (choreographer),  Adam Cates (associate choreographer), Alexander Dodge (hartford set/scene design), Linda Cho ( costume design), Donald Holder (lighting), Brian Ronan (hartford sound), Aaron Rhyne (projection),  Peter Hylenski (broadway sound), Doug Besterman (orchestration), Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (music & lyrics), Charles G. LaPointe (hair/wig design), Joe Dulude II (makeup design), Tom Murray ( Musical Supervisor & Music Director/Conductor), Michael Keller and Micahel Aarons (music coordinators), David Chase (dance arrangements), Bonnie Panson (production stage manager), Trey Johnson (stage manager), Lee Micklin (assistant stage manager)

cast: Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad Popov), Ramin Karminloo (Gleb), Caroline O’Connor (Countess Lily), Mary Beth Peil (Dowager Empress), Zach Adkins, Alex Aquilino, Sissy Bell, Lauren Blackman, Kathryn Boswell, Kyle Brown, Kristen Smith Davis, Janet Dickinson, Constantine Germanacos, Wes Hart, Ian Knauer, Ken Krugman, Dustin Layton, Shina Ann Morris, Kevin Munhall, James A. Pierce III, Molly Rushing, Nicole Scimeca, Jennifer smith, Johnny Stellard, McKayla Twiggs, Allison Walsh, Lyrica Woodruff (ensemble/swing/Romanovs/supporting roles/etc.)

TL;DR - Anastasia is a fantastic musical, and everyone involved should be recognized!!

I’m sure many more people should be on this list, so feel free to add on!!!

[tinamrazik]

The Broadway Smash ‘Hamilton’ Returns to the Adrienne Arsht Center Feb 18- March 15

HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary.  Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.  

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

HAMILTON’s creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award ® Winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS.

HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA.

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/technology/entertainment/review-in-beetlejuice-the-afterlife-is-exhausting/

Review: In ‘Beetlejuice,’ the Afterlife Is Exhausting

The dead lead lives of noisy desperation in “Beetlejuice,” the absolutely exhausting new musical that opened on Thursday at the Winter Garden Theater. This frantic adaptation of Tim Burton’s much-loved 1988 film is sure to dishearten those who like to think of the afterlife as one unending, undisturbed sleep.

Because as directed by a feverishly inventive Alex Timbers, and starring Alex Brightman as the manic ghoul of the title, this production proposes that not being alive just means that you have to try harder — a whole lot harder — than you ever did before. Otherwise, you’ll wind up invisible, with nary a soul to acknowledge your starry self. And in today’s world of chronic self-advertising, this may be the true fate worse than death.

Invisibility is definitely not among this show’s problems; overcompensating from the fear that it might lose an audience with a limited attention span is. Though it features a jaw-droppingly well-appointed gothic funhouse set (by David Korins, lighted by Kenneth Posner), replete with spooky surprises, this show so overstuffs itself with gags, one-liners and visual diversions that you shut down from sensory overload.

The sum effect suggests Disney World’s Haunted Mansion ride (and, hey, I’ve spent some very happy moments there) as occupied by an especially competitive meeting of the Friars Club. The industrious cast keeps spitting out spoken and sung jokes — good, bad and boring — at the velocity of those armies of bats that regularly swoop over the audience, summoned by the projection designer Peter Nigrini.

Mr. Burton’s original film, which cemented his reputation as a Hollywood moneymaker, divided critics when it first came out. (“About as funny as a shrunken head — and it happens to include a few,” Janet Maslin wrote in her review in The New York Times.)

But moviegoers swooned for Mr. Burton’s stylized blend of morbid darkness and cartoon brightness, and it remains a cult favorite. Certainly, no one complained that it was understated. The biggest objection from its fans was that Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice — the scurrilous phantom who wreaks havoc among both the living and the dead in a haunted middle-class home — didn’t get enough screen time.

The creators of this musical adaptation — led by Eddie Perfect (songs) and Scott Brown and Anthony King (book) — apparently concluded that everything people liked about the film should be multiplied ad infinitum, starting with Beetlejuice himself. But, oh dear fans, be careful what you wish for.

Let me say that after Mr. Korins’s set, Mr. Brightman is the best reason to see “Beetlejuice,” which also stars the talented but misused Sophia Anne Caruso as his arch-frenemy, a living teenager with a death wish. Mr. Brightman, who received a Tony nomination for the Jack Black part in the stage version of “School of Rock,” again faces the unenviable task of reinventing a memorable madcap screen performance.

As coiffed (by the wigmaker Charles G. LaPointe) and attired (by William Ivey Long) with a newly punkish edge, this Beetlejuice is no pale imitation of Mr. Keaton or anyone else. Or not one single person. Instead, he seems to be channeling the entire ensemble from the early years of “Saturday Night Live,” with a soupçon of Jerry Lewis and Robin Williams at their most frenzied.

The show’s high point, by far, is Mr. Brightman’s opening number, “Being Dead,” one of the best meta-theatrical songs since “The Book of Mormon.” He materializes on a coffin in a graveyard, after the funeral for the mother of Lydia (Ms. Caruso), who has sung the first of what will be several tedious ballads of bereftness. “Holy crap! A ballad already!” exclaims Beetlejuice. “And such a bold departure from the original source material.”

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I felt a thrill of relief at that point, a sense that this show might not be a chore to sit through, after all. (I was on guard, as “Beetlejuice” had been roasted to a crisp in an earlier incarnation in Washington.)

What follows is an extremely lively introduction to the premise that death is indeed a laughing matter, punctuated with dark, rib-jabbing asides. (“If you die during the performance, this show will not stop.”)

Still, Mr. Brightman is so electrically, relentlessly on here that you wonder if he can sustain that level of all-out energy. As it turns out, Mr. Brightman and “Beetlejuice” can indeed sustain this anything-for-a-laugh intensity. And it is not a trait that benefits from prolonged exposure.

Nearly everything appears to be operating on the principle that it must somehow top what came before. So at the drop of a punch line, the show is suddenly crowded by throngs of ghostly cheerleaders, gospel singers, a dead football team (for a sequence set in hell), not to mention really big puppets (by Michael Curry). There’s even (no, please, make it stop!) a phalanx of cloned, dancing Beetlejuices. (The hyper choreography is by Connor Gallagher.)

This being a Broadway musical, “Beetlejuice” has been given a freshly broadened sentimental streak. There’s an enhanced treacly through line, at odds with the prevailing frat-house high jinks, about the search for family. At its center is the lonely, mom-missing Lydia, who resents that her dad, Charles (Adam Dannheisser) has taken up with Delia (Leslie Kritzer, taking zany to the max), a perky but insecure life coach.

In parts charmingly originated onscreen by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, the house-haunting, newly dead young couple Adam and Barbara (the talented Rob McClure and Kerry Butler in thankless roles) are shown mourning the absence of the child they never got around to having while they were alive.

Ms. Caruso, the precocious teenage actress who was an incandescent presence in the David Bowie musical “Lazarus,” lacks the devilish, deadpan piquancy that Winona Ryder brought to the same role in the film. When this Lydia sings about a place called home, you can imagine what Britney Spears might have been like in the title role of “Annie.”

The music mostly exists in a loud, undifferentiated blur. That includes, I am sorry to say, “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” in which the denizens of a dinner party find themselves possessed by a calypso spirit. In the film, the incongruity of stuffy, dressed-up philistines making like Jamaican backup dancers was a hoot.

Here, everybody, including every member of the support cast, has already gone so far over the top that there’s no room for comic contrast. The disheartening moral of “Beetlejuice” is that when anything goes, nothing much registers in the end.

[larryland]

Tickets for "Hamilton" at Proctors Go on Sale to the Public June 24

Tickets for “Hamilton” at Proctors Go on Sale to the Public June 24

PERFORMANCES AUGUST 13 – AUGUST 25, 2019

Producer Jeffrey Seller and Proctors announced today that single tickets for HAMILTON will go on sale to the public 10 a.m. Monday, June 24 at Proctors.org, by phone (518-346-6204) or in person at the Proctors Box Office (432 State Street).  Tickets will be available for performances August 13 – August 25, 2019.

There is a maximum purchase limit of four…

[cynthiajayusa]

‘Hamilton’ Comes to Orlando and Tampa

It is the SHOW that took Broadway by storm, redefined it, and garnered a ton of awards including many TONYs. Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary.  Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and music supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical. 

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The cast consists of Ta’rea Campbell (Angelica Schuyler), Marcus Choi (George Washington), Elijah Malcomb (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton), Joseph Morales (Alexander Hamilton), Shoba Narayan (Eliza Hamilton), Fergie, L Philippe (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Kyle Scatliffe (Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas), Nyla Sostra (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Jon Patrick Walker (King George), Nik Walker (Aaron Burr), and an ensemble cast consisting of 29 other actors.

Central Florida is lucky enough to have Hamilton Playing in two locations:

The Dr. Phillips Center for the performing Arts through Sunday February 10. For tickets go to Drphillipscenter.org.

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts from February 12 through March 10. For tickets go to StrazCenter.org.

The Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide.  The Hamilton recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

For information on Hamilton, visit www.HamiltonMusical.com.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/01/31/hamilton-comes-to-orlando-and-tampa/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2019/01/hamilton-comes-to-orlando-and-tampa.html

[newyorktheater]

Francesca Faridany as physicist and chemist Marie Curie

Kate Mulgrew as engineer Hertha Ayrton

Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize twice, but she was also a woman; so the Nobel committee asked her not to show up at the ceremony. We learn the specific reason why early on in this well-intentioned, workmanlike play by Lauren Gunderson about the friendship between two world-class women scientists who lived a century ago. But first each of the women gets a monologue to introduce herself and her major accomplishment: French/Polish physicist Marie Curie, discoverer of radium (portrayed by Francesca Faridany, who starred as the teacher Siobhan in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and British electromagnetic engineer Hertha Ayrton, who stopped electric lights from their incessant hissing, (portrayed by Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway on “Star Trek: Voyager,” and Red in “Orange is the New Black.”) Hertha has come to France to stop, in effect, the incessant hissing against the widow Marie, whose affair with a married colleague was causing such a scandal (in France no less!) that it was threatening her equilibrium, her livelihood, and her health. The scandal is the reason why they don’t want her at the Nobels – the first of several examples in the play of the specific peculiarities of sexism in the sciences. “Men get to have sex all the time,” exclaims Hertha, an activist suffragette who has gone to jail repeatedly for her protests. “They don’t mind what Einstein does with his evenings.” (The play also includes a letter that Albert Einstein wrote to Curie to support her.) Hertha bucks Marie up, and convinces her to come back to her home on the coast of England to recuperate. Much of “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” takes place over that one summer in 1911, but the two characters do talk about their past and the playwright  scoots ahead to their future in a couple of scenes at the end. We learn of their lives and loves and their admirable accomplishments. Both, for example, contributed mightily to the war effort during World War I, Ayrton by using her knowledge of fluid dynamics to create fans that effectively blew the German’s poison gas away from the British trenches, Curie by inventing mobile X-rays – and driving them herself to the battlefront in order to treat wounded French soldiers! “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” is a rare New York premiere for Lauren Gunderson, a prolific playwright who has had the distinction over the last few years of being the most produced playwright in non-profit regional theaters across the country, and who has made a specialty of dramatizing the lives of women scientists. This play, a commission by Audible that is being presented at Audible’s live theater home at Minetta Lane Theater, is given a polished New York production. Rachel Hauck has designed a pleasing enough set that suggests a comfortable turn of the century beach house; costume designer Sarah Laux is period authentic; Amith Chandrashaker’s lighting design gives an air of mystery and drama, especially when Marie is holding up her radium pendant. Among the design team, only sound designer Darron L. West fell short, which is ironic, since sound is all that will remain when the play becomes an Audible audiobook. (I wondered whether this fate made Gunderson write it differently than had it been solely for the stage.)  The two pros in the cast do their best to bring to life this collection of fascinating tidbits of biography and science, which is simplified enough to be comprehensible to middle school students. It occurred to me that may be the age group for which this instructive play is best suited, despite some foul language and a few frolicsome lines about sex. There is an attempt to get at what drove these pioneers, a stab at pathos, a few lovely metaphors and some intellectually stimulating dialogue:

Marie: Love. We don’t need it. Birds don’t need it. Trees, fish. All other life on Earth does just fine without it. Nature is perfectly heartless. So is science. That’s why I like it.

Hertha: I don’t like the idea of science being heartless. It takes heart to question the nature of things.

There are a couple of lines that will stay with me, although I’m not sure they were intended to be memorable. At one point, Hertha says to Marie: “I thought we agreed to leave the Radium in Paris.”

The cast, the design, the admirable intent are all incentives to want to enjoy “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” more than I actually did.

The Half-Life of Marie Curie Minetta Lane Theater Written by Lauren Gunderson; Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch Scenic design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Sarah Laux, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Darron L. West, dialect coach Kate Wilson, hair and wig design Charles G. LaPointe. Cast: Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission Tickets: $77 to $107 The Half Life of Marie Curie is on stage through December 22, 2019

The Half-Life of Marie Curie Review: Science, Sexism and the Friendship between Two Pioneers Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize twice, but she was also a woman; so the Nobel committee asked her not to show up at the ceremony.

[demitgibbs]

‘Hamilton’ Comes to Orlando and Tampa

It is the SHOW that took Broadway by storm, redefined it, and garnered a ton of awards including many TONYs. Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary.  Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and music supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical. 

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The cast consists of Ta’rea Campbell (Angelica Schuyler), Marcus Choi (George Washington), Elijah Malcomb (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton), Joseph Morales (Alexander Hamilton), Shoba Narayan (Eliza Hamilton), Fergie, L Philippe (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Kyle Scatliffe (Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas), Nyla Sostra (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Jon Patrick Walker (King George), Nik Walker (Aaron Burr), and an ensemble cast consisting of 29 other actors.

Central Florida is lucky enough to have Hamilton Playing in two locations:

The Dr. Phillips Center for the performing Arts through Sunday February 10. For tickets go to Drphillipscenter.org.

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts from February 12 through March 10. For tickets go to StrazCenter.org.

The Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide.  The Hamilton recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

For information on Hamilton, visit www.HamiltonMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/01/31/hamilton-comes-to-orlando-and-tampa/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/182451586145

[hotspotsmagazine]

‘Hamilton’ Comes to Orlando and Tampa

It is the SHOW that took Broadway by storm, redefined it, and garnered a ton of awards including many TONYs. Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary.  Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and music supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical. 

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The cast consists of Ta’rea Campbell (Angelica Schuyler), Marcus Choi (George Washington), Elijah Malcomb (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton), Joseph Morales (Alexander Hamilton), Shoba Narayan (Eliza Hamilton), Fergie, L Philippe (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Kyle Scatliffe (Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas), Nyla Sostra (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Jon Patrick Walker (King George), Nik Walker (Aaron Burr), and an ensemble cast consisting of 29 other actors.

Central Florida is lucky enough to have Hamilton Playing in two locations:

The Dr. Phillips Center for the performing Arts through Sunday February 10. For tickets go to Drphillipscenter.org.

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts from February 12 through March 10. For tickets go to StrazCenter.org.

The Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide.  The Hamilton recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

For information on Hamilton, visit www.HamiltonMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/01/31/hamilton-comes-to-orlando-and-tampa/

[bblsc]

Mérites d’architecture 2018 de Québec: le Manège militaire doublement récompensé

CONSTRUCTION. À l’occasion de la 15e édition du gala des Mérites d’architecture de la Ville de Québec, un total de 20 certificats ont été remis dans 16 catégories. Fait notoire, autant les citoyens que les juges ont choisi de remettre leur Prix (du public et du jury) au même projet, soit celui de la réhabilitation du Manège militaire des Voltigeurs.

Construit en 1885 par Eugène-Étienne Taché, le bâtiment a connu une reconstruction exemplaire à la suite de l’incendie qui l’avait partiellement détruit en 2008. Dans sa restauration, l’architecte a su valoriser le caractère patrimonial de l’édifice historique tout en lui intégrant des éléments de l’architecture contemporaine.

Dans son appréciation, le jury indique que les nouvelles composantes les plus impressionnantes du Manège sont l’ajout d’une nouvelle construction à l’ouest (photo) ainsi que le lien créé avec le parc des Champs-de-Bataille. (Photo gracieuseté)

Parmi les autres récompenses décernées à des ajouts récents ou des améliorations à la trame urbaine de la ville, on note la restauration de l’église des Augustines-de-l’Hôtel-Dieu-de-Québec qui a remporté le Prix du patrimoine. Par ailleurs, le Prix édifices publics et institutionnels a été attribué à l’école de la Myriade à Val-Bélair, alors que le Prix bâtiments et projets municipaux est allé à la passerelle des Trois-Sœurs à Vanier.

La cure de rajeunissement de plusieurs des éléments architecturaux du Monastère-des-Augustines-de-l’Hôtel-Dieu-de-Québec, dont son église, a valu à sa Fiducie le Prix du patrimoine. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Constructions Béland & Lapointe. (Photo gracieuseté)

Hommage

Enfin, le Prix hommage 2018 a été accordé à l’architecte Gilles Guité, qui a contribué à la richesse du patrimoine bâti contemporain de la province. On lui doit notamment des participations dans des projets comme le Pavillon Paul-Comtois de l’Université Laval (1964), l’édifice Marie-Guyart (Complexe G, 1968), l’édifice du Revenu sur la rue Marly (1981), le Centre des congrès de Québec (1996) et la Grande Bibliothèque du Québec, à Montréal (2004).

De l’avis du jury, les oeuvres conçues par M. Guité et ses associés ont marqué la ville de Québec. Empreintes d’un esprit d’innovation et d’expérimentation, elles témoignent de cette époque tournée vers l’avenir, constituant ce qu’il convient de désigner comme le patrimoine de la modernité.

Par l’implantation respectueuse de son environnement urbain et l’intégration d’éléments de développement durable, l’école de la Myriade à Val-Bélair a mérité le Prix édifices publics et institutionnels. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Drolet construction. (Photo gracieuseté)

Ce qu’ils ont dit:

«On peut affirmer que la qualité de vie d’une communauté tient en grande partie à des éléments essentiels comme son patrimoine, ses œuvres et espaces publics, son paysage et son architecture. Je remercie la Ville de Québec pour sa vigilance et pour l’organisation de ce concours qui encourage l’excellence en aménagement du territoire.» – Louis Lemieux, adjoint parlementaire de la ministre de la Culture du Québec

«Par leurs réalisations, architectes, entrepreneurs et propriétaires contribuent de façon remarquable à la qualité du développement urbain de Québec. Ce gala faire valoir la contribution de tous les participants à notre paysage urbain et nous donne l’occasion d’admirer des projets des plus inspirants.» – Marie-Josée Savard, vice-présidente du comité exécutif de Québec responsable du patrimoine et de l’aménagement du territoire

Se démarquant par sa forme et sa matérialité, la passerelle des Trois-Sœurs enjambant la rivière Saint-Charles à Vanier a remporté le Prix Bâtiments et projets municipaux. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Construction BSL. (Photo gracieuseté)

Pour voir tous les projets méritants des Mérites d’architecture 2018 de Québec, cliquez ici.

Métro Média

[Read More ...]

[derekglieber]

Mérites d’architecture 2018 de Québec: le Manège militaire doublement récompensé

CONSTRUCTION. À l’occasion de la 15e édition du gala des Mérites d’architecture de la Ville de Québec, un total de 20 certificats ont été remis dans 16 catégories. Fait notoire, autant les citoyens que les juges ont choisi de remettre leur Prix (du public et du jury) au même projet, soit celui de la réhabilitation du Manège militaire des Voltigeurs.

Construit en 1885 par Eugène-Étienne Taché, le bâtiment a connu une reconstruction exemplaire à la suite de l’incendie qui l’avait partiellement détruit en 2008. Dans sa restauration, l’architecte a su valoriser le caractère patrimonial de l’édifice historique tout en lui intégrant des éléments de l’architecture contemporaine.

Dans son appréciation, le jury indique que les nouvelles composantes les plus impressionnantes du Manège sont l’ajout d’une nouvelle construction à l’ouest (photo) ainsi que le lien créé avec le parc des Champs-de-Bataille. (Photo gracieuseté)

Parmi les autres récompenses décernées à des ajouts récents ou des améliorations à la trame urbaine de la ville, on note la restauration de l’église des Augustines-de-l’Hôtel-Dieu-de-Québec qui a remporté le Prix du patrimoine. Par ailleurs, le Prix édifices publics et institutionnels a été attribué à l’école de la Myriade à Val-Bélair, alors que le Prix bâtiments et projets municipaux est allé à la passerelle des Trois-Sœurs à Vanier.

La cure de rajeunissement de plusieurs des éléments architecturaux du Monastère-des-Augustines-de-l’Hôtel-Dieu-de-Québec, dont son église, a valu à sa Fiducie le Prix du patrimoine. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Constructions Béland & Lapointe. (Photo gracieuseté)

Hommage

Enfin, le Prix hommage 2018 a été accordé à l’architecte Gilles Guité, qui a contribué à la richesse du patrimoine bâti contemporain de la province. On lui doit notamment des participations dans des projets comme le Pavillon Paul-Comtois de l’Université Laval (1964), l’édifice Marie-Guyart (Complexe G, 1968), l’édifice du Revenu sur la rue Marly (1981), le Centre des congrès de Québec (1996) et la Grande Bibliothèque du Québec, à Montréal (2004).

De l’avis du jury, les oeuvres conçues par M. Guité et ses associés ont marqué la ville de Québec. Empreintes d’un esprit d’innovation et d’expérimentation, elles témoignent de cette époque tournée vers l’avenir, constituant ce qu’il convient de désigner comme le patrimoine de la modernité.

Par l’implantation respectueuse de son environnement urbain et l’intégration d’éléments de développement durable, l’école de la Myriade à Val-Bélair a mérité le Prix édifices publics et institutionnels. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Drolet construction. (Photo gracieuseté)

Ce qu’ils ont dit:

«On peut affirmer que la qualité de vie d’une communauté tient en grande partie à des éléments essentiels comme son patrimoine, ses œuvres et espaces publics, son paysage et son architecture. Je remercie la Ville de Québec pour sa vigilance et pour l’organisation de ce concours qui encourage l’excellence en aménagement du territoire.» – Louis Lemieux, adjoint parlementaire de la ministre de la Culture du Québec

«Par leurs réalisations, architectes, entrepreneurs et propriétaires contribuent de façon remarquable à la qualité du développement urbain de Québec. Ce gala faire valoir la contribution de tous les participants à notre paysage urbain et nous donne l’occasion d’admirer des projets des plus inspirants.» – Marie-Josée Savard, vice-présidente du comité exécutif de Québec responsable du patrimoine et de l’aménagement du territoire

Se démarquant par sa forme et sa matérialité, la passerelle des Trois-Sœurs enjambant la rivière Saint-Charles à Vanier a remporté le Prix Bâtiments et projets municipaux. Conception: ABCP architecture. Réalisation: Construction BSL. (Photo gracieuseté)

Pour voir tous les projets méritants des Mérites d’architecture 2018 de Québec, cliquez ici.

Métro Média

[Read More ...]