Warming up at February Art Loop

I’ll admit the last thing I wanted to do after a long week behind the keyboard (both the musical and non-musical kind) was go to out in the cold. But my winter doldrums vanished instantly as I stepped into the Wilmington Art Loop.

The Delaware College of Art and Design’s 14^th annual show features the students’ work. Walking around the gallery, one gains a sense of the enormous variety and scope of the students’ assignments. I was instantly drawn to the masks created in Pahl Hluchan’s Four Dimensional Design class (pictured). Among the exhibits were drawings and mock-ups for an Interior Design class, sample covers for the New Yorker magazine for a Media class and fabulous sculptures created from wood and marble for a Three Dimensional Design class. For more information about the school, go to http://www.dcad.edu/

My next stop was the CD release party for Mélomanie’s florescence and composer Mark Hagerty’s Soliloquy at the Shipley Lofts. It was a treat to have the opportunity to chat with the composers and musicians involved with the CDs. Mélomanie’s CD features local composers Ingrid Arauco, Christopher Braddock, Mark Hagerty, Chuck Holdeman and Mark Rimple. (All are Delaware-based, except Rimple, who is based in West Chester, PA.) For more information about Mélomanie, or to purchase their CD, go to www.melomanie.org. For more information about Mark Hagerty, go to www.hagertymusic.com.

On my way out, I stopped to admire the work of Kevin Bielicki, whose paintings and sculpture graced the gallery space at Shipley Lofts. His work Mangrove (pictured) is a startling sculpture, created from a long, twisted driftwood-looking root, with a dried, hardened bonsai, woven into the structure. Bielicki’s works-bold and larger than life-are inspired by nature. For more information about Kevin Bielicki, go to www.kevinbielicki.com.

At the New Wilmington Art Association’s opening, I spoke to artist Kenny Delio. His is one of the most whimsical, clever works of art I have seen. When I asked him what this moving creation was called, he answered, “I don’t know. Dipper?” (Click on link to see video.) A large corner of the gallery’s walls was covered in cups of Plasticine. Small clay shapes suspended by wire and tied with lead fishing weights were being dipped repeatedly in these cups. Of course, the audience has a part in the show: one has to step on a pedal to bring the whole thing in action. Delio’s next step is to fire the objects to finish them. His wacky idea grew out of his fascination with the concept of process, and his desire to cut down on some of pottery’s drudge-work. For more information about Kenny Delio, go to http://kennydelio.com

Delaware's God of Love Takes on Oscar!

Congratulations to Delaware native Luke Matheny, whose short film God of Love has been nominated for an Academy Award for Short Film (Live Action)!  Luke, who grew up in Wilmington, is the writer, director and star of the comedy about a lovestruck lounge-singer with impeccable aim.  You may have seen it in October 2010's Fringe Wilmington Festival, during the Film Brothers Festival of Shorts, where it won the Grand Prize.

Click Here to check out God of Love on DVD!

The Mysterious World of Cats at the NCT

The Full Cast. Photo: NCT

As a teenager in the '80s, my high school drama class took regular trips to New York City to see Broadway shows. This was at the height of Cats fever -- and yet, I never did see it on Broadway, probably because we always bought discount same-day tickets shorty before the show, far too late to land Cats tickets. I wasn't bothered, since there was no shortage of cool shows to see. Still, I was always curious about the much-loved show. When I saw it was showing at the New Candlelight Theater in Ardentown, I had to cover it.

The Broadway run of Cats ended in 2000, having survived through the early '90s pop culture backlash against visual feasts. By the time Disney took Broadway by storm with The Lion King in '97, Cats, I suppose, didn't seem so modern anymore. What's funny, though, is that with mega-spectacles like Lion King, Cats, once the most commercial show in the world, looks almost avant-garde -- especially in the NCT's relatively small room.

Andrew Lloyd Webber composed Cats based on T.S. Elliot's poems in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, a poetic guide to the sociology of the domestic cat. The show takes place over one night, when the cats leave their owners to have an annual gathering. Cats are humanized and humans are felinized with singing and dance, and it's all lots of fun to watch.

Cory Wade Hindorff as Rum Tum Tugger

NCT's production, directed by Dann Dunn, looked as spectacular as I'd imagined growing up. Jeff Reim's  set design of an outdoor alley with a distinctive backlit moon overhead was beautifully done. The costumes, designed by Timothy Lamont Cannon, who also plays the patriarchial Old Deuteronomy, and the makeup were just right. A visual feast.

Of course, it could be pretty as can be, but without real talent on stage, the production would fall flat. The cast has it. This is professional theater, Delaware, you don't have to wait for touring musicals to hit the DuPont. Highlights include Lindsay Mauck as Jennyanydots, Kaylan Wetzel as Bombalurina, David Synder as both Bustopher Jones and Gus, Erica Scanlon Harr as Grizabella the Glamour Cat, Ryan Blackson as Mr. Mestoffelees and the scene-stealing rebel Rum Tum Tugger, awesomely played by Cory Wade Hindorff. The show has a large ensemble, and it's all good.

As always, the NCT serves a dinner buffet (included in the ticket price) and has a cash bar featuring wine, beer and themed cocktails. Cats runs through March 20th, 2011, and will be followed by their spring production, The Full Monty.

The New Candlelight Theater

Behind the Scenes: Interview with Cats Director/Choreographer Dann Dunn