Thursday, November 3, 2016
Review: Cirque du Soleil Creates a Wondrous World in TORUK - The First Flight
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| Photo: Jesse Faatz Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
Don LaFontaine was one of the most prolific (and best-loved) voice actors in the movie industry for more years than I can even remember, until his death in 2008. You may not know his name but you've certainly heard his deep bass voice and famous catch phrase, "In a world..." in hundreds of movie trailers during his more than forty-year career. No one has come close to duplicating what he could do. He was one of a kind.
Were he alive today and recording the movie trailer for TORUK - The First Flight, that signature "in a world..." would be the perfect beginning to describe what Cirque du Soleil has created in this stunning yet atypical foray into acro-musical storytelling.
In a world where beauty lives in every detail and the lush jungles of Pandora pulse with life, it is up to one young boy to overcome self-doubt and save a dying people.
Much more than that you don't need to know, and a narrator will take care of supplying the finer points of the tale as you go along. What you do need to be aware of is not to expect what you would normally see in a Cirque du Soleil production. This evolution of the brand trades the troupe's normal progression of death-defying feats as self-contained acts and instead integrates a more streamlined set of athletics into a linear tale. The movement of the artists becomes a language all its own and everything they do is part of the larger sphere of the Pandoran universe.
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| Photo: Youssef Shoufan. Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
It requires that the audience be ready to take in an enormous amount of potent stimuli as breathtaking projections sweep across the plains of the stage and throughout the audience. Vibrant colors, so tactile and rich you could almost reach out and dip your hand in them, create the vast landscapes, moving waterfalls, and mythical scenes. It is spectacular. The sheer scope of the vision boggles the mind. It's no wonder this show plays out in the largess of an arena setting rather than inside Cirque's smaller traveling tent.
The show may not have the same emotional reach we've come to expect but its highly creative design integrates such visual splendor and new forms of artistry and technology that it's impossible not to feel its impact.
TORUK brings to life the world of the Na'vi from James Cameron's epic film Avatar some 3000 years before we meet them in the film. Within this world, wondrous creatures exist - part puppet, part human, some comical, some ominous. There are Viperwolves and Direhorses, Austrapedes (a kind of ostrich/flamingo/dinosaur) and a Turtlepede (turtle shark). But none are more striking than the flying Toruk, a dangerous beast of prey whom the Na'vi fear.
The tribal sound of drumming is threaded throughout the score, along with haunting orchestral themes and a soundscape that incorporates the pulse of nature. Hoop jumping, fire twirlers, aerial silks, mechanical poles, and contortionists that balance on a moving seesaw of bones are a few of the artistic elements incorporated in the story. Boomerangs whoosh through the air and exquisite banshee kites elegantly lift in a butterfly dance overhead.
Make sure your smart phone is fully charged before you go. Once there, you can download the TORUK app which is a unique way to engage with the show in real time, making fireflies dance, woodsprites converge, and participating in other cool effects during the performance. TORUK may not elicit the same kind of emotional longing or ache for humanity I've felt in other Cirque shows but, in an age where we are becoming more and more disconnected, this is one way of using technology to give us the next best thing.
TORUK: The First Flight
November 2-6, 2016
Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario
November 11-13, 2016
Staples Center in Los Angeles
January 12-15, 2017
The Forum in Inglewood
Tickets: www.cirquedusoleil.com/toruk
TORUK creative team: 13 creators under the artistic guidance of Guy Laliberté (Guide) and Jean-François Bouchard (Creative Guide) for Cirque du Soleil, and James Cameron, Jon Landau, Kathy Franklin and Richie Baneham for Lightstorm Entertainment, along with Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon ( Show writers and Directors, Multimedia Directors), Neilson Vignola (Director of Creation), Carl Fillion (Set and Props Designer), Kym Barrett (Costume and Makeup Designer), Tuan Le and Tan Loc (Choreographers), Bob & Bill (Composers and Musical Directors), Jacques Boucher (Sound Designer), Alain Lortie (Lighting Designer), Patrick Martel (Puppet Designer), Germain Guillemot (Acrobatic Performance Designer), and Pierre Masse (Rigging and Acrobatic Equipment Designer).
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| Photo: Jesse Faatz Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
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| Photo: Jesse Faatz Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
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| Photo: Jesse Faatz Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
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| Photo: Youssef Shoufan Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
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| Photo: Jesse Faatz Costumes: Kym Barrett © 2015 Cirque du Soleil |
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Labels: cirque du soleil
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Review: Sci-Fi Silliness Reigns in Rubicon Theatre's RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET
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and Omar D. Brancato. Front: Madeline Gambon, Trevor Wheetman, Craig McEldowney, Kimberly Hessler and Caleb Horst. All photos by: Ronnie Slavin |
Rubicon Theatre Company lands a winner with its latest musical comedy Return to the Forbidden Planet by Bob Carlton. The silly sci-fi confection is two hours of deliciously kitschy fun accompanied by a rock and roll score that blasts out more than twenty hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s and a dynamite cast that spews planetary puns and classical text faster than the speed of light.
Loosely based on Forbidden Planet, one of the best science fiction films to come out of the 1950s, it also takes shots at just about every Shakespeare play you can think of. You’ll hear lines of iambic pentameter – many twisted into fresh new comic punchlines – from The Tempest (which also supplies the names of the major characters) and a host of others like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and King Lear. There’s even a line from one of the sonnets thrown in for good measure.
The musical takes place aboard a space ship led by the charismatic Captain Tempest (Harley Jay). He and his crew are about to embark on a new mission, “Scientific Survey Flight Nine” which also includes the audience as fellow travelers. Once emergency instructions are dispatched (what could go wrong?) the ship launches and we’re off to the races.
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| Kimberly Hessler and Harley Jay (front) with Craig McEldowney, Jason Graae, James O’Neil and Omar D. Brancato |
Carlton makes it easy to follow the plot – simply pay attention to the songs he uses to tell the story. “It’s a Man’s World” sets up a gender rivalry between the captain and Gloria (Rebecca Ann Johnson), the sexy Science Officer, and during blastoff the whole ensemble sings a rousing “Great Balls of Fire” to kick the action into high gear. When an asteroid hits and the ship is thrown off course, Prospero (James O’Neil), a defector who has been missing for fifteen years comes to their aid. Turns out he’s been living on the planet D’Illyria (Twelfth Night reference anyone?) conducting scientific experiments that he claims are not what everyone thinks (“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”).
The Captain meets Prospero’s quirky robot helper Ariel (Jason Graae) and beautiful daughter Miranda (Kimberly Hessler) singing “Good Vibrations” but it’s also love at first sight for Cookie (Caleb Horst), the cook, when he spies the girl. Encouraged by the Bosun (Craig McEldowney) to woo her with a kiss (“The Shoop Shoop Song”) Cookie makes his approach, but Miranda has already fallen for the Captain (“A Teenager in Love”) who tells her she’s too young for him (“Young Girl”).
Much mayhem occurs as Gloria’s true identity is revealed, Cookie vows to help her steal Prospero’s secret formula, and an unidentified green monster attacks the ship. And that’s only Act I. The goofy story continues from there with another dozen hits in Act II until the musical wraps it all up with a typical Shakespearean happy ending.
The combination of science fiction subject matter, twisted Shakespeare, and rock and roll makes for a highly entertaining two hours, especially when performed by a cast as capable as this one. The ringer is, of course, James O’Neil whose wild-eyed rock god Prospero-in-space is one crazy dude. Harley Jay flexes his leading man muscles and portrays Captain Tempest with plenty of nonchalant swagger, charm to spare, and a knowing twinkle in his eye. Plus, he plays guitar, and everyone knows that a guitar player never lacks for female attention. Rebecca Ann Johnson shows off a dynamic set of pipes, belting out classics with a richness in her mid-voice that has only gotten better over time. Filling the shoes of the roller skating robot Ariel is Jason Graae, an actor who always finds a unique way to liven up a scene. If you are familiar with his solo work, be on the lookout for his oboe feature. It’s hilarious.
As the sweet ingénue, Kimberly Hessler defines the word wholesome while Caleb Horst plays both good guy and temporary traitor with comic simplicity. Martin Landry’s Navigation Officer is a slightly imbalanced Vulcan who is prone to comical bouts of hysteria, and the additional onstage band members add to the disarming boy band appeal of the show.
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| L-R: Jesse Graham, Craig McEldowney, Harley Jay, Omar D. Brancato and Stephen Russell |
And yet there is one other cast member who was – for me – the surprising secret weapon of the show. Craig McEldowney takes a supporting role as the Bosun and turns it into an unforgettable character portrait, wielding a thick Scottish brogue and a seriously intense demeanor that finds him managing his fellow bandmates and buddies so smoothly they don’t even realize he’s the one making them look good. Then he lets those tenor high notes loose while playing electric guitar and it sends this send-up over the top in the best way possible. We’ll have more of that, please.
From a design standpoint, the show is neon-flavored eye candy with some terrific teamwork by scenic and lighting designer Thomas S. Giamario, costume designer Pamela Shaw, prop designer T. Theresa Scarano, and video designer Dillon G. Artzer. Artzer’s jumpy projections of onscreen narrator Fred Willard are a great addition to the show. All of it comes together under the guiding hand of director/choreographer Kirby Ward who nails the style of the piece and manages to accomplish quite a few surprises along the way. Musically, the show is firing on all cylinders, led by musical director Trevor Wheetman. Sound designer Jonathan Burke adds bright atmospheric detail that enhances the fun.
RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET
Oct 26 – Nov 13, 2016
Rubicon Theatre
1006 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001
Schedule: Wed at 2pm & 7pm, Thurs at 8pm, Fri at 8pm, Sat at 2pm & 8pm, Sun at 2pm.
Talkbacks follow all Wednesday evening performances.
www.rubicontheatre.org
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| Jason Graae and Kimberly Hessler |
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| L-R: James O’Neil, Harley Jay, Craig McEldowney, Trevor Wheetman and Omar D. Brancato |
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Labels: rubicon theatre