Wilmo Rock Circus -- The Biggest Show in the Small Wonder

Deadbeatz, Inc. Photo: Brian Truono

Pop-ups -- one night events in a space that wasn't a venue before and won't be one after -- are all the rage, or so I'm told, and Wilmington is in on it. The concept isn't new to Delaware, not that that's a bad thing. Before there was a Queen or a Mojo 13, when venues allowing original live music were few, there wasn't much choice but to "pop-up" shows in barns or basements around here. And while, of course, it's awesome to have so many actual permanent venues that support original local music in Delaware, there's nothing like taking over a warehouse for one night.

The format for Gable Music Venture's Wilmo Rock Circus, held in an empty storefront in the Shipyard Shops, was literally taken from the big top. Instead of three rings, there were two stages, complete with ringmasters to introduce the acts. The purpose of this circus-like setup, aside from a carnival-like feel, was circus-like pacing: The performances alternated from stage to stage, leaving no breaks between bands, allowing ten 30-minute sets in five hours. A fast pace, yes. And that was part of the excitement.

The other part of the excitement was the mix of bands. This wasn't a funk show or a punk show, prog, alt. pop or rockabilly -- it was all of the above. So if the band on stage wasn't your thing, you could go grab a drink, maybe use the powder room generously offered by Timothy's or wander the room and socialize, and a new, likely completely different, band would be along in a few minutes. I have my taste preferences, but I didn't hear any band that didn't do what they do well. These bands -- The Bullets, The Hold-Up, The Keefs, Pete Lownote and the Truckstop Regulars, Modern Exile, Deadbeatz, Inc., Little Invisibles, Still Moon Servants, The Joe Trainor Trio, and Universal Funk Order (thank you WRC Facebook Invite for all the links) -- are some of Delaware's best, and the opportunity to see them all in one night was one not to be missed. If you did miss it, don't worry. Gable Music Ventures plans more pop-ups in the future, but where the next big show will take place is anyone's guess.

"Like" Gable Music Ventures on Facebook for upcoming shows, including regular performances in LOMA hotspots such as Extreme Pizza, Zaikka, and the Film Brothers Co-op.

Excellent "Noises" from University of Delaware’s REP!

By Delaware Arts Info blogger Charles "Ebbie" Alfree III

Photo from Resident Ensemble Players

How the hell do they do it??? I’m referring to the cast of Noises Off presented by the University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players. Guest Artistic Director, Gregory Boyd, directs the hardest working cast currently in Delaware! It takes a great director to guide a cast through the intricate blocking of this hysterical play, and Mr. Boyd accomplished his task.

Michael Frayn’s slapstick comedy tells the story of a third-rate acting troupe as they attempt to produce a British sex farce, Nothing On, while beginning and ending affairs, drinking, and competing for the director’s attention. What ensues is hilarity beyond belief.

It’s a thin story, but it’s the characters, witty lines and most of all, the comic timing that make this three-act play a must see! The timing is everything in the production; one mistake can throw off the entire play and cause a catastrophe. However, this cast of true professionals—Deena Burke, Michael Gotch, Elizabeth Heflin, Mic Matarrese, Carine Montbertrand, Stephen Pelinski, Kathleen Pirkl Tague, Steve Tague and John Tyson—never drops the ball. Watching Noises Off is like watching a master class in comedy-theater.  The cast seamlessly plays two characters in this play within a play, as well as uses multiple props and continuously enters and exits through numerous doors that make up the multipurpose set.

One side of Neil Patel’s set is an English country home – the setting for Nothing On -and the other side is the backstage of the fictitious play, allowing the audience to see the front and backstage antics all at once.  The set is as impeccable as the actors. It gives the audience a view that most don’t see or experience, seeing a play from backstage.

Anyone who loves theater should not miss Noises Off, even if slapstick is “not your cup of tea.” Any true theater lover will appreciate the work that goes into this play. 

Now, I’m ready for a plate of sardines; go see the play and you’ll understand why.

See www.rep.udel.edu. 

Coastal Concerts brings quality music to Lewes

Coastal concerts, a determined group of volunteers in Lewes, has fulfilled their mission of bringing quality music to Southern Delaware. November 19’s concert with the Lincoln Trio was of a quality you would expect in a large city, yet without the hassle and expense.

The Lincoln Trio, formed in 2003, is an ensemble-in-residence at the Music Institute of Chicago. Desirėe Ruhstradt, violin, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music – David Conifer, cello, a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, and Marta Aznavoorian, piano, who studied at both Indiana University and the New England Conservatory not only have the chops to play anything you place in front of them, but they click together– listening and anticipating each other and sensing intuitively where their partners are taking the music and who will lead which phrase.

The Beethoven Piano Trio in D Major, opus 70, number 1 was executed smoothly and quietly – a pristine beginning. By the second movement, you could hear a pin drop in the hall and the Presto passages flowed like oil. The Jennifer Higdon Piano Trio (2003) starts with chords that Aznavoorian voiced masterfully, letting each tone ring for just the right amount of time. Silver Dagger (2009) written for the trio by their friend Stacy Garrop was much more of a twenty-first century adventure – the daring bonging of the piano strings with the pedal down and the strident bowings by Ruhstradt and Cunliffe created both the flavor of the country tune and the exploratory tonalities of new music.

They crowned the concert with Bedrich Smetana’s Trio in G Minor, Opus 15 – a fiery technical challenge which they played without restraint, bringing out the true melodic ringing of Smetana’s harmony and putting so much into the piece that the audience roared in response – demanding an encore with their standing ovation. The trio played Café Music by Paul Schoenfield with a bit too much speed, but the audience lapped up the jazzy delight.

The concert hall is perhaps a bit unconventional – a large church assembly room with a platform for the artists on which a lovely Steinway sits on a raised box flanked by two standing lamps. The sound was live enough so that the piano had more than its share of the combined dynamic, yet Aznavoorian played so well who could complain?

The next Coastal Concert will present Clancy Newman, cello and Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano on January 28 at 2 p.m. in the Bethel United Methodist Hall. Why not make it a beach weekend and enjoy walking to a world class concert after lunch?

See coastalconcerts.org

See www.lincolntrio.com