Mastersingers of Wilmington Present Ein Deutsches Requiem

On Saturday, April 2, at 7:30, David Schelat and his Mastersingers present Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, in a program which includes other German anthems by Eighteenth and Nineteenth century composers for a lush, romantic evening.

The first part of the concert has some short a capella pieces which show off the great control and uniform harmony David Schelat has achieved with his 34-member chorale.

The Frohlocket, ihr Volker auf Erden by Felix Mendelssohn has such a perfect compositional structure that the voices resound and return in the marvelous stone environment of the First and Central Presbyterian Church sanctuary. The Mastersingers’ spirited rendition makes this piece exciting and moving.

The lyrics of Talismane, Opus 141, Number 4 – a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are inescapably gripping. “The East is God’s, the West is God’s. Northern and southern lands rest in the peace of his hands.” The chorus sings these words with such conviction that it grabs the listener by the ears.

The pièce de résistance is the wonderful requiem, accompanied on the piano by Lotus Cheng and Hiroko Yamazaki in the four-hand arrangement by Brahms. Both the small chorus and the pianists have no trouble creating a build-up of glorious sound that fills the sanctuary. Soloists Eileen Clark, soprano and Edward Albert, baritone have wonderfully strong voices that ring out above the chorus with ease.

If you have never heard the Brahms Requiem, this intimate space and small ensemble provides great opportunity to feel as if you are right in the middle of the music.

See www.fandc.org.

Twisted Times: The Pillowman at Bootless

Katurian K. Katurian just wants to share his stories with the world -- which, for him, happens to be a totalitarian police state in the far-off future. He finds himself in an interrogation room with two brutal police officers questioning him about his short stories. But what starts off as a seemingly typical dystopian storyline morphs into a twisted tale of torture, innocence, art and brotherhood. Is Katurian being interrogated for expressing himself creatively, or is it something darker -- something any good cop would investigate? The roles that seem so clear-cut over the first half hour of The Pillow Man, Bootless Artworks' second show in their first season as a professional theater, become more complicated as the show progresses.

Written by Irish/English author Martin McDonagh and directed by Daniel Student, The Pillow Man follows Katurian and his brother Michal (who has the mental capacity of a young child) through a nightmarish day in prison. As Katurian, Sean Close is a sympathetic everyman who lives for his art. Katurian's stories are sick and twisted, the result of a shocking childhood. Michal, played by the engaging Kyle Yackoski, is the only family he has, and his biggest fan. They are lorded over by the two police on their case, Detective Tupolski (Jim Ludovici), the "good cop," and Detective Ariel (James C. Jackson), the "bad cop." As the show progresses, the seemingly caricatured cops develop in unexpected ways. Villains become anti-heroes, and maybe even almost-heroes. It's up to you to reconcile their brutality, and the (possible) brutality of the brothers.

Everything in The Pillow Man hits the mark, from the performances to the set design to the sound, lighting and video. TV screens survey the action at times; at others, they enhance the stories.

Katurian's stories are shared, sometimes told within the scenes and sometimes told with the aid of some very creepy  Little Bunny Voodoo puppets. The stories within the story are like mortar -- without them, the larger piece wouldn't hold together. The title character, the Pillow Man, is a creation of Katurian (or is he?) who benevolently aids in the suicides of young children who are doomed to lead horrific lives. When they say this is a black comedy, they mean it -- this  is about as dark as it gets. It's closer to horror, really. If you can take it, this is a show you should not miss.

The Pillow Man runs through April 9 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., with a 3:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 3, and a an "Industry Night" on Thursday April 7 at 7:30 p.m. Shows are located at Bootless' temporary site at 980 Justison Street in the Shipyard Shops (just past Planet Fitness). Tickets are just $16/$12 for seniors and students. For tickets, call (302) 887-9300  or e-mail the box office at  bootlessinfo@gmail.com.

Copeland String Quartet and the Art of the Quartet

The Art of the Fugue has long been a challenge to keyboard artists, trying to play different voices in the fingers – but when the Copeland String Quartet plays it as a quartet – each voice takes on its own timbre and texture. Mark Ward had his colleagues play each theme and voice before they played eight of the twenty of the fugues Bach wrote in his Art of the Fugue.

The musical blend had the grace of four independent players – each trading the fugal voices, which wove a tapestry of sound throughout the stone church. The last fugue, as we had been warned, was not finished and they played it to the last notes Bach had written which inspired the audience to loud applause, a proper salute to Bach who was born 326 years ago this month.

The Schumann String Quartet in A major, Opus 41, No. 3 was a major scene change. Where Bach had created four independent voices for fugal polyphony, Robert Schumann was thinking in chordal harmony – making his quartet like his piano compositions. In the Andante espressivo, the first violin plays an A against the second violin’s held G – before the second moves to the A. Only professionals can tread this murky water and Eliezer Gutman and Tom Jackson had that harmonic tension and resolution beautifully controlled.

The quartet managed the Assai agitato with its many tempo, meter and mood changes without a hitch – communicating all of the dynamic and mood changes. You can feel that they have worked together long enough to sense each other’s tempi and expression.

The viola and first violin playing the melody over the ostinato of the second violin and the well-placed pizzicato of the cello were highlights in the Adagio molto and they took the Finale with no holes barred on speed – yet their ensemble was fluid as they built to a smooth and musical crescendo.

The quartet has two CDs out (see web site) and their next Holy City concert will be on May 22 at 4 p.m.

See www.copelandstringquartet.com.

Wilmington Children's Chorus posts new YouTube Channel

The Twin Poets' Powerful Premiere of "Why I Write"

The Twin Poets. Photo: Teleduction

 A full-length movie featuring nothing but the spoken word art of Al Mills and Nnamdi Chukwuocha, also known as the Twin Poets, would be compelling, entertaining and moving. "Why I Write," the Hearts and Minds Films documentary about the duo takes it further and offers so much more. Directed by Sharon Baker, the film intersperses the twins'  amazing art with their amazing social work, showing how interconnected all of it is.

Identical twins Al and Nnamdi -- social workers, activists, military veterans and poets -- grew up in the harsh Riverside neighborhood of Wilmington they serve. Unlike so many kids growing up in Riverside, they had a strong parental base, and were especially influenced by their late father, activist William "Hicks" Anderson. Al and Nnamdi are walking examples of the power of involved fatherhood in the inner city community, and, no surprise, are involved fathers themselves, not only to their biological children, but to all of the children in Riverside. They are tireless in their devotion -- they spend their days working with kids at Kingswood Community Center, public and inner-city charter schools, afterschool programs, and in the homes of high-risk kids. They comfort fearful youngsters, counsel young boys treading perilously close to being lost and encourage young girls to respect themselves and reach their goals. They shed tears with children who have lost parents to violence. It's a difficult calling, but, somehow, they keep their senses of humor.

If Al and Nnamdi wanted it, they could be millionaires, living in California mansions, instead of being social workers in lil' old Wilmington. Their spoken word poems, delivered in a distinct way that I'm not sure would be possible for non-twins, are that good. They've had their own HBO special, and they've had offers from rappers who wanted to use their words. The Twin Poets, while they work in words, are not rappers, and have no interest in being connected to to the often thuggish genre, even for big money. Their integrity is almost overwhelming. Honestly, judging by the reaction to their work, they might land that success anyway.

Teleduction has plans to show "Why I Write" around Wilmington and in film festivals around the country. Connect with the "Why I Write" Facebook page for information about the upcoming DVD.

B-Sides, Rarities & Unreleased Tracks at the CTC

What do you get when you mix one writer, four directors, 15 actors, 17 short plays and a DJ? An evening of B-Sides, Rarities and Unreleased Tracks at the City Theater Company. The title of the collection infers a rock music theme -- and while a couple of the shorts are about popular music in one way or another, it's more metaphorical. The short plays by Alex Dremann, each under ten minutes long (in some cases, well under), are small bites, individual "songs" that don't necessarily connect, but go together like an album.

Dremann's plays, directed by Kathy Buterbaugh, Josh Hitchens, Todd Holtsberry and James Kassees, are comic, while at the same time very dark. We meet a serial killer who bowls people to death, a mental patient about to eat his one friend, and self-aware zombie throwing a cocktail party for his less sentient friends. A recurring theme is interpersonal relationships, especially love relationships between a man and a woman (a couple of the shorts do have gay themes, but these also involve men with women, at least for the moment).

Most members of the cast played multiple roles in different plays, but some pairs, such as Brian McAleese and Amanda Bernhardt and Tim Donovan and Mary Catherine Kelley, appeared together repeatedly. There are a couple of solo pieces -- Greg O'Neil in "Cantaloupe," Kat J. Simon in "Elvis at Stuckey's" and Becky Balaguer in "Chum," but most are shorts for two people. My favorites? Probably "On the Floor," "Cantaloupe" and "Zombie Asthete."


B-Sides, Rarities & Unreleased Tracks will have its second and last two-day run this weekend at the Black Box at Opera Delaware Studios -- don't miss it!

Rabbit Hole at the Chapel Street Players

(Photo of Kate Brennan and Jason Fawcett by David Sokolowski)

What incredible risks Anthony Bosco took for the new Chapel Street Players production of Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire! First of all, the cast were almost all new to CSP. Secondly, he was taking on a play which the playwright himself had just adapted for a movie with Nicole Kidman. And thirdly, he is the father of two small children taking on a play about how a couple deals with the death of their child.

But on opening night on February 25, his willingness to take risks paid off. Kate Brennan as Becca and Jessica Rowland-Eppler as her sister Izzie had the audience so involved one lady couldn’t resist mumbling in response to their rants. And when it became clear that the clothing that Becca was folding so carefully had belonged to her four-year-old son who had died months earlier– it was hard to decide whether to laugh or cry.

Howie, Becca’s husband, played by Jason Fawcett, seems to be cool, collected and ready to kiss his wife back to normal. But even he has a limit to his patience. It is easy to empathize with him until Izzie raises suspicions about just how he might be coping.

Performances by Marlene Hummel, who plays Becca’s unrestrained mother, and Neil Redfield, who plays the hapless youth Jason, are catalytic. They force Howie and Becca to break their controlled postures and vent their grief.

The play presents each character against contrasting personalities. Becca’s neurotic quelling of her grief is highlighted by her exchanges with her carefree and shockingly direct sister Izzie -- Howie’s calm control is upset gradually by his warm but outspoken mother-in-law and all four of them react intensely to Jason’s apologetic entry into their lives.

In spite of all the grief and ranting, the play ends with a note of hope. The actors were so good that it is hard to resist the urge to call and see how they are doing. Performances are 8:00 p.m. on February 25, 26, March 4, 5, 11, 12. Matinee 2:00 p.m. March 6 and 12.

See www.chapelstreetplayers.org

Tendrils ascend with Mélomanie

Peter Flint gave center stage to each of the instruments of Mélomanie in his piece, Ascending Tendrils, which premiered on February 19. The piece begins with a call for spring on modern flute (Kimberly Reighley) – haunting and inviting at the same time. The gamba (Donna Fournier) responds calling to mind a bullfrog and when the cello (Douglas McNames) joins in and the violin (Linda Kistler) makes a grasshopper’s entrance with the harpsichord (Tracy Richardson) buzzing like a swarm of insects – the pandemonium of spring and growth continues until…pause…unstructured measures tell the audience not to predict how growth works. The listener waits for the next cue - the flute tweets hesitantly, then more insistently-- the fledgling trying to fly. The piece builds up to a dancing, running pace and ends with a jaunty halt. Flint has inventiveness and can change style completely. The last work he premiered in Delaware (in November 2009) was Double-speaking for guitar and flute, had a gypsy, Vallanato style. And, now that he has covered birds with his Avian Orchestra, he has moved on to insects. Shall we call his new music group the Etymological Orchestra from now on?

Ascending Tendrils was preceded by Kimberly Reighley’s performance of the Bach Suite in A Minor for Solo Flute (BWV 1013). Reighley is so deft at the baroque flute (and what a treat to have that in our area) that she commands the flute through arpeggiated passages with no hesitation – running the gamut of tone color in the baroque flute – with soft but sonorous low notes and whisper-gentle higher notes in fast succession – resounding in the fairly live church acoustics.

The two Telemann quartets were played almost contemplatively – with the gentlest of tempi and extremely graceful ornamentation. The musicians have changed places, putting flute and violin on the audience’s right and cello and gamba on the left. The balance is good both ways.

Mélomanie treated us to an unusually romantic item in the Duo for violin and cello by Bohuslav Martinù. Linda Kistler and Douglas McNames pulled no punches on either tempo or expressiveness and the acoustics made the lush romantic prelude reverberate richly while the rhapsodic rondo seemed like a raucous round of dueling fiddles.

See www.melomanie.org

See www.peterflintmusic.com

The Emperor’s new photographs

Had you found the photographs currently on exhibit at the Old College Gallery in a shoebox at your house, you may have tossed them out.

But if you noticed the photos were of Farah Diba, Empress Consort of Iran and Marella Agnelli, you might have kept a few after all. And then you would have puzzled about those faces you did not recognize.

Curator Stephen Petersen spent three entire days examining contact sheets to identify some of the people in the Warhol photographs given to the University of Delaware by the Warhol Legacy Program (run by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts). His dedication paid off – he identified 40 out of 50 famous (and not-so) visages after his exhausting hours of staring at contact sheets. (I did, however, recognize Christopher O’Riley – a past a soloist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.)

Mr. Petersen was ebullient in his gallery talk at Old College on February 17. His knowledge of Warhol and the collection imbued his note-free speech with zest, and his background in photography made him perfect for the job. He has an MFA in photography, but his attention for detail meant that he had researched every aspect of each camera – down to details like the use of the “magic cube” flash bulb, the mention of which had some members of the audience nodding as they remembered using them. His excitement was contagious and made the visit to the gallery a much deeper experience.

Mr. Petersen displayed cameras exactly like the ones Warhol had used for his photographs and he talked to the crowd about how the cameras were innovative at the time -- intended to be the perfect family portrait machine. He spoke about the irony of using a twenty-dollar Polaroid Bigshot to prepare portraits of the glitterati and nobility willing to pay him a $25,000 commission for his work. He also spoke of Warhol’s life and work: Warhol reveled in the underground of the New York art world until he was shot and seriously wounded. He then tried to slow down and live life a bit (but not too much) more staidly.

Petersen arranged the photographs in chronological order so that you can see the polaroids and move on to the black and white gelatin silver prints which have more experimentation and spark to them. You also see models of the ‘point and shoot’ cameras which Warhol used: a Minox with synchronized flash, a Chinon autofocus and an Olympus QuickFlash.

Thanks to Stephen Petersen, the Old College Gallery exhibit will give you an insight into the private Andy Warhol – so different from the one we conjure up when contemplating Brillo boxes, Campbell’s soup cans and blocky silkscreen images of Marilyn Monroe.

http://www.udel.edu/museums/exhibitions/2011/warhol.html

See "God of Love" at Theatre N Saturday!

Did you miss the Oscar-nominated "God of Love" by Delaware-bred Luke Matheny at the Film Brothers' Festival of Shorts last October? Here's your last chance before the Academy Awards to see it on the big screen! Theatre N will show all of the Short Film (Live Action) 2011 Oscar nominees tonight (Friday, February 18) at 8:00 PM, tomorrow (Saturday, February 19) at 5:00 PM and Sunday (February 20) at noon.

In addition to "God of Love," you'll see the other nominated films: "The Confession" by Tanel Toom (UK), "The Crush" by Michael Creaugh (Ireland), "Na Wewe" by Ivan Goldschmidt (Belgium) and "Wish 143" by Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite (UK).

Tickets are $7, or $5 for the Sunday Matinee.

For information on purchasing "God of Love" on DVD, click here.

Serafin String Quartet: Grace and Passion

Dissonance has become a relative concept in classical music-with the works of composers such as Schönberg and Schnittke changing the landscape and pushing the audience’s ear to accept challenging, sometimes harsh “chords” or clusters. The opening notes of W.A. Mozart’s String Quartet in C Major, K. 465 create a dissonance that might have been challenging in that same way to listeners in the eighteenth century. But to our modern ears, the quartet is elegant, at times passionate, yet well within our aural “vocabulary”. The Serafin String Quartet opened their concert-part of the Calvary Community Series-with this lovely piece. The quartet members are Kate Ransom and Timothy Schwarz, violins, Ana Tsinadze, viola and Lawrence Stomberg, ‘cello. (During her maternity leave, Ms. Tsinadze is replaced by Luke Fleming of the Attacca Quartet.)

Grant Youngblood sang Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach (written for voice and string quartet). His warm, even tone and excellent diction beautifully conveyed the music and the text. The poem, by Matthew Arnold, was brought to life by the quartet, whose music ebbs, flows and crashes like waves on the beach. Though the poem is English, we mustn’t forget Barber grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania and was one of the first graduates of the Curtis Institute of Music. How fortunate were we to be able to hear Mr. Youngblood in one of his rare local performances!

The Quartet played Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13. with gusto. Mendelssohn wastes no time, diving immediately into the brooding angst of the piece. The second movement is reflective and calmer than the first. It almost seems an explanation of the raw emotions that have been exposed. In the third movement, the gypsy-like motive lends some lightness to the quartet, but by the fourth movement, the original theme returns. After several deceptive cadences, Mendelssohn builds the tension until the very end. I was astounded to learn Mendelssohn had only been seventeen when he composed this quartet. He was in good, youthful company with the other composers featured in this wonderful concert: Barber was thirty-one when he composed Dover Beach and Mozart was twenty-nine when he completed his quartet in C major, K 465. Be sure to hear the Serafin String Quartet’s next performance on March 10 at 12:30 pm at First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington!

For more information about the Calvary Community Series:

http://www.calvaryhillcrest.org/calvaryCommunitySeries.htm

For more information about the Serafin String Quartet:

http://www.serafinquartet.org/

David Kim and Marian Lee play Brahms

Artistic director Xiang Gao has not only put Delaware on the map with his own violin performances, but he has brought great musicians to the UD campus. The Master Players Concert Series and the Delaware Korean American Association sponsored the February 13 piano and violin recital by David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Marian Lee, faculty pianist at the University of Delaware and former Julliard classmate of Mr. Kim.

The two musicians are both so good that not only were they able to play the second movement of the F.A.E. Sonata Scherzo (Brahms’ contribution to a multi-composer work written as a tribute to the violinist Joseph Joachim), but they were also able to master the dynamic levels so that each phrase blossomed like a firecracker fountain then yielded to the next phrase so that it was truly a performance of two equal partners – just as Brahms would have wanted.

Dr. Lee gave a pristine performance of the Intermezzo Opus 118, No. 2 in A Major. She brought out the intricate balance of the middle voice and delicately wound the upper melody around it without crowding either line. Her clean playing made the effect of the piece dramatic in its purity.

The two violin sonatas which followed each had that magic that is made up of so many little details that master musicians can pull off without schmaltz or excess. In the Sonata in A Major, Opus 100, there were almost imperceptible hesitations before the most dramatic notes which were so smoothly coordinated that this just had to come from feeling the music rather than a learned gesture.

And the performance of the Sonata in D Minor, Opus 108 showed again how easily the balance of sound was achieved so that even with the busiest parts and an open lid on a grand piano, the piano never hid the violin, even when Mr. Kim played in the very lowest range of the violin. His tone is consistently smooth and beautiful and he found a very good collaborator in Marian Lee.

See www.davidkimviolin.com

See www.music.udel.edu

Can newspaper photography be art?

A resounding yes if Fred Comegys is holding the camera! Although he protests that he has never thought of it as art, Mr. Comegys’ photographs reveal that he is always looking for the different angle, the grittiness, the photographic statement.


And brava to Executive Director Danielle Rice for deciding to keep to her ‘let’s get local’ theme. The crowd at the opening of the exhibit was very large and many of them were young people who had never been to the Delaware Art Museum before. They filed politely through the very small gallery where curator Heather Coyle Campbell had hung what she had feared would be a very small number of photographs – but finally on Monday, February 4, she received the last of 65 pictures from Mr. Comegys.


At the opening Comegys noted that photojournalists go from one appointment to the next – Wilmington in the morning, Middletown at noon and then some. The mission is speed. The mission is to report. And, as he pointed out with some contrition, the mission is often to catch people when they are not at their best.


Mr. Comegys’ work can even catch people at their worst. His photo of The Rolling Stones at a concert gives Jagger a mean and threatening look – and his several photos of Ku Klux Klan meetings put the spotlight on individual Klansmen with disturbing clarity – one of which is labeled Rev. Dorsett preaching at a Ku Klux Klan Rally, Bear, Delaware, 1965. This is a disturbing photograph.


Yet Comegys can also paint people at their best. Ted Kennedy standing among the nuns and teachers of St. Mark’s High School looks like an angel come to earth. Did you mean that, Fred, or did it just happen?


See www.comegys.com
See www.delart.org
See www.delawareonline.com


Photos: Top, left to right: 1. U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy at St. Mark's High School, Wilmington, 1972. 2. Spiderman in the net, St. Georges Bridge, St. Georges, DE October 1971.
3. Sister Mary Francis tosses a football during recreation period, The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Wilmington, Delaware May 1984. Bottom right: Port Deposit, Maryland Flood, June 26, 1972.

Longwood Organ Dedication

Normally we don’t blog non-Delaware events, but since this was a DuPont event just up the road from the Delaware border, it would seem churlish not to write about one of the most affable and accomplished musicians around: Peter Richard Conte, Grand Court Organist for the Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia who played the re-dedication concert on the restored Aeolian symphonic organ before a sold-out crowd including Maestro David Amado, Nathan Hayward and Governor Pete Dupont. (Tickets sold out the day they went on sale in September 2010.)

Staff at Longwood tell me that in the weeks before the concert, Mr. Conte would come to practice after the restoration team had put away their drills late at night and stay for hours – and then would sneak in at the crack of dawn to play some more before the restorers arrived to work on the project, handing the banished musician coffee as a consolation.

But not only did Peter Richard Conte play an incredibly difficult program on Friday, February 4, having carefully prepared exploited as many of the stops and whistles as possible, but he wrote a brief erudite yet humorous introduction for every piece. He had known Firmin Swinnen, the first concert organist in residence who helped design the Aelion symphonic organ. Mr. Conte played some of his works – and made sure a computerized of an actual performance by Mr. Swinnen was featured.

The highlight of the Friday night concert was Mr. Conte’s performance of an incredibly demanding piece composed by Marcel Dupré, who had actually performed it at Longwood. Mr. Conte’s performance of Variations sur un Noël, opus 20, pour grande orgue and his registration of the piece gave it the texture and variety that it deserved.

But I salute Mr. Conte not just for his mastery of music, but for his outstanding affability. He stayed after the concert, was easily approachable and friendly to all – young and old, allowing them to enjoy the experience of knowing a true artist.

He returned in the morning for a more technical demonstration of the organ and answered all questions from young and old with eagerness, humor and respect.

Bravo, Mr. Conte and kudos to Paul Redman for taking the initiative to invest in restoring Longwood to its former elegance.

A Post-Show "YO!" for Five Guys Named Moe

OK, so I'm writing this after the show has closed.  I just wanted to give props to the Wilmington Drama League production that lifted my spirits on a dreary February night and kept my Arts weekend rolling.

With a near-capacity, enthusiastic and diverse house, Five Guys Named Moe gave us quite a show.  And though the storyline was a bit thin---essentially, the "Moes" magically appear to give love and life lessons to lead-character Nomax through song---it didn't matter.  The music kept you rapt.  The play featured the greatest hits of "King of the Jukebox", jazz & blues great Louis Jordan.

Tommy Fisher, in his directorial debut, put together a talented ensemble that kept the audience engaged throughout their performance.  My favorite "Moe" was Little Moe, played by Alvin A. Hall, Jr.  He was equally full of energy and voice, jumping around the stage with verve, especially during his numbers, "I Like 'Em Fat Like That" and "Saturday Night Fish Fry".  A close second were No Moe and Big Moe---played by Jerry Mumford and Andre Dion Wills, respectively---whose performances of "Messy Bessy" and "Caldonia" totally resonated with the crowd.  Mumford's and Wills' rich voices and presences were both lively and fun.

The true highlights, however, were when all five "Moe's" came together for numbers like "Safe, Sane & Single" and "Push Ka Pi Shi Pie".  Their harmonies and on-stage interactions were the strength of the show, and they played the crowd well: Act I ended in a rousing conga-line of audience members.

The show ended with a Standing Ovation from the audience, and the energy traveled into the lobby, where actors and audience mingled.  Five Guys Named Moe provided the perfect remedy for the mid-winter blues, and delivered a production that was a wonderful celebration of diversity in the Arts.

The Drama League's next performance is The Elephant Man, running March 18 through April 2.

See www.wilmingtondramaleague.org.

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

Art Fusion: Contemporary Music & Art Come Together in Wilmo

Next Friday night, while you're out and about on Wilmington's Art Loop, make a point to stop at Shipley Artist Lofts at 701 Shipley Street.  A multi-genre expression of art awaits you there, in a stellar example of artistic collaboration and clever cross-promotion.

The Delaware-based five-piece Baroque/contemporary ensemble Mélomanie and composer Mark Hagerty are each releasing new CDs next week (entitled Florescence and Soliloquy, respectively), and they have partnered with visual artist Kevin Bielicki for a party of the contemporary Arts, adding even more flair to the February 4 Art on the Town.  Mélomanie presents their annual concert series in downtown Wilmington at Grace Church (their next performance follows on February 19).  Mélomanie's CD features 5 local composers including Ingrid Arauco, Christopher Braddock, Mark Hagerty, Chuck Holdeman and Mark Rimple as well as local musicians Fran Berge, Lynne Cooksey, Donna Fournier, Eve Friedman, Douglas McNames, Kimberly Reighley and Tracy Richardson.

While Mélomanie and Mark Hagerty party it up on the lower level of Shipley's Chris White Gallery---with complimentary food & drink, CDs for sale, composers and musicians on hand to meet & greet, and the CD music played throughout the night---Bielicki will present a mixed media exhibit on both floors.  And attendees are encouraged to mix and mingle: music fans can discover Bielicki's sculpture and acrylic works, and visuals arts buffs can enjoy fantastic modern music by local musicians and composers.

Don't miss it!
See www.melomanie.org.
See www.hagertymusic.org.
See www.KevinBielicki.com.

A Trip (Musical) Centuries in the Making

Last Sunday, blogger Holly brought me up to speed on this performance by two local musicians.  We couldn't resist passing along the info to you, even if a bit late!  The program, Centuries of Song, featured Jessica Graae, providing her talents as soprano and guitarist, with pianist Margaret Darby.  The artists led their audience on a musical journey through the ages, right up to now.
The tour began in the late 1700s with two pieces by Mozart in Italian, In Uomini and Una Donna, both of which are arias from Cosi Fan Tutte. The next segment featured four turn-of-the-20th Century pieces by Gustav Mahler, all dark German pieces (Holly's favorite: Um Mitternacht). 

Delaware's always edgy and exciting composer, Chuck Holdeman, was there to introduce three of his pieces: A Ring, Into the Cloud, and At the Bend, all based on works by poet Laureate W.S. Merwin.  Chuck read Merwin's poems in the New Yorker and decided to set them to music, which he then mailed to Merwin in Hawaii.  This was the first performance of these songs east of Texas, so again, Delawareans are very fortunate for the wealth of Arts experiences available in our state!

After this contemporary segment, Jessica switched to guitar and played three beautiful Renaissance-era lute transcriptions in English by Thomas Campion, John Dowland and Francis Pilkington.

As its titled suggested, the recital definitely took us on a journey through time (though not in chronological order, which Holly said she particularly enjoyed ). The mood ranged from bold to haunting, with the main themes of love mixed with cynicism and hope.  Having seen these two performers in the past, I can say that they are a great pairing.  Jessica can shift languages, genres and tone effortlessly and beautifully, and Margaret is her perfect complement.  Their energy feeds one another, and you can see that they enjoy performing together. 

The Sacred Heart Oratory, at 917 N. Madison, has more shows coming up in February and March, including February 20, Knights of Columbus Choir; Alan Henderson, Director and March 20, Holy Cross Chamber Ensemble; The Light and Mercy of God: Music for Lent.  All performances are at 3:00pm and cost is a freewill offering that benefits the Oratory.

Meet Lucy at the DTC

Vivian is a woman who has journeyed to far off lands as an acclaimed anthropologist, but her journey with her 13 year-old daughter, Lucy, takes her -- and the audience -- to places more intense than the most exotic locale.

Damien Atkins' "Lucy," in only its second U.S. performance run, is visually, sonically and emotionally stunning. The first thing you notice, even before the play begins, is scenic designer Alexis Distler's striking set, an almost life-sized outline of a house. The design is sleek and stylized, almost evoking a child's drawing. When the actors are on stage, the set melts away, and its as if you're peeking in on a real family rather than watching a play. The script, directing and the acting, of course, makes this happen. All of the actors, under the direction of David Stradley -- Kate Eastwood Norris as Vivian, Andrea Green as Lucy, Charlie DelMarcelle as Lucy's father Gavin, Karen Peakes as Vivian's assistant Julia and  Ross Beschler as Lucy's therapist -- fit into their roles extremely well.

The script takes on the challenge of looking into the mind of an autistic girl by having Lucy speak to the audience as the play's narrator. Out of narration mode, she's written with the traits common to autism -- rocking, repeating phrases, recoiling from being touched -- a character that Atkins had researched with autism experts for more than two years.

This is about Vivian's journey more than anything else, though. When her ex-husband Gavin approaches her about helping to raise Lucy, Vivian is on an archaeological dig and hasn't seen her daughter in years. She initially refuses to take charge of Lucy's care and therapy for a year while Gavin establishes a new marriage, but eventually gives in. Back home, she seems out of place, and she is thoroughly overwhelmed by Lucy. With the help of Julia and Lucy's therapist, she attempts to deal with her new life. Desperate to find answers, her once sparse home becomes filled with books as she searches for the reason Lucy is the way she is. Then something clicks (or snaps, depending on how you look at it). It's no longer Vivian's journey alone, but a journey she takes with Lucy. The result is alarming at times and exploding with emotion and visual surreality.

"Lucy" brings forth different theories about autism, some you've likely heard before, and one in particular that is far from mainstream thinking, but it doesn't really "sell" any theory so much as it gives the viewer a lot to think about.

"Lucy" runs through February 6. In addition, the gallery at DTC features the work MakeStudio.org artists Jermaine "Jerry" Williams, Bess Lumsden, Louis Middleton and Tony Labate. The Baltimore-based studio arts program supports emerging artists with disabilities. A nice companion to the play, the art show stands on its own and is worth spending some time with while you're there.

delawaretheatre.org

makestudios.org

Mélomanie Lights Up with FireDance

As always, Mélomanie takes the audience to new horizons. The ensemble’s winter concert included works by Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, Diane R. Jones, J.S. Bach and Bohuslav Martinů.  The concert began with a lovely, airy quartet by the French composer, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain. Kimberly Reighly played the baroque flute, with Donna Fournier on viola da gamba and Douglas McNames on baroque cello and Tracy Richardson on harpsichord.

Diane R. Jones described to the audience how she was inspired to write FireDance, commissioned by Mélomanie, as she sat outside her house, watching the fire at night. I realized how lucky we were to hear a composer talk about her work. So often we must delve into history books, hoping musicologists have understood the hearts and minds of composers. In writing the piece, Jones became fascinated with the idea of crafting a modern work for period (baroque) instruments.

FireDance lives up to its name. The first movement, Sparks has short bursts of melody, with one instrument beginning and another taking over. Reighly (baroque flute) and Elizabeth Field (baroque violin) are so skilled at matching their tones that the melody flows effortlessly. The second movement Embers starts out with only strings. We can picture the fire being ignited, as instruments are added. Jones gestures to early music in the third movement, Flames. It begins with a violins solo, followed by sections of imitation and sequences-staples of baroque composition.

Douglas McNames tackled Bach’s Suite in E flat minor. On a Landophi instrument (built in 1750), strung with steel strings, instead of gut, and resting on a modern endpin, he played with precision and passion.

The Martinů Promenades for flute, violin and harpsichord is a jewel. Here, Elizabeth Field showed off some of her sweetest violin playing. The piece exploits the harpsichord’s nasal tones in a quirky way. Typical of many European composers from that period, Martinů drew on a rich store of folk music, infusing his works with colorful melodies and rhythms.

Be sure to check out the release party for both Mélomanie’s and Mark Hagerty’s CDs at the Shipley Lofts in downtown Wilmington on Friday, February 4, from 5:30-8:00pm!

See www.melomanie.org.

New Ark Chorale Announces Mid-Season Auditions

For its upcoming April 9 "Mass of the Children" concert, New Ark Chorale invites vocalists to audition to join as guest singers in the performance.

All singers are required to attend three of the four rehearsals, held March 8, 15, 22 & 29 at Newark United Methodist Church in Newark from 7:30-9:30pm, and attendance at the dress rehearsal on April 5 is mandatory.  There is a $20 participation fee. 

Auditions will be scheduled on an individual basis. Contact Michael Larkin at 302.475.5658 or mlarksing@aol.com or Joanne Ward at 856.371.6371 or joannejward@aol.com.

Rutter's Mass of the Children with Delaware Children's Chorus & chamber orchestra
Saturday, April 9, 2011, 7:00pm
Newark United Methodist Church, 69 E. Main Street, Newark
The Chorale and the DCC collaborate in this program which will benefit Camp New Hope of Delaware Hospice.
Tickets $15 · $12 Seniors · $5 Students · Children 12 & under admitted free.Purchase at the door or reserve by calling 302.368.4946 or purchase online at www.mycommunitytickets.com.

Newark Christmas Cheer

If Santa is hiring any new elves, I would highly recommend Dr. Michael Larkin for the job. His effervescent enjoyment of Christmas and Christmas music is a delight to behold!

This year’s program was named Forward to the Past: A Christmas Concert based on Dr. Larkin’s study of Christmas music of Western Europe. Fifteenth Century (Guillermus Dufay), Sixteenth Century (Praetorius), including a softened and slowed En natus est Emmanuel preceded the Seventeenth Century Tomas Luis Vittoria’s O magnum mysterium motet and selections from the mass.

Then a jump to the Twentieth Century with arrangements by Dr. Larkin of many popular Christmas tunes, including selections he took from the movie White Christmas.

Mindy Bowman accompanied the choir in the modern part of the program where Mike Alexander sang O Holy Night, Jay Williams soloed in Count your blessings and Della Lied gave a beautifully clear rendition of Love, you didn’t do right by me. Her solo reminded me of the arrestingly clear voice of Joan Baez singing Little Drummer Boy on a Christmas album I have long lost.

Dr. Larkin gave great energy to directing the audience in refrains of popular carols and it seemed like an old Newark party in the beautifully decorated vault of the Newark United Methodist Church.

They will perform the same program at Saint Helena’s Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington on Sunday, December 19.

See www.newarkchorale.org.

Carols in Color: A Spectacular Celebration

Photo: Gabriel Bienczycki

As the lights go down and "Carols in Color" begins, you are transported, both to the Biblical time of the Book of Matthew and from the humble school auditorium where the show is being performed. This year, Wilmington Christian School hosted the two-act retelling of the birth of Jesus in dance and song -- but don't let that fool you: this is high-caliber theater worthy of a Broadway stage.

A little background: Carols in Color is an original production of the Eleone Dance Company in Philadelphia, conceived by the company's founder, E. Leon Evans, II. It combines modern dance and a live Gospel chorus, as well as music from various artists such as Be Be and Ce Ce Winans and Kirk Franklin, to tell the Christmas story starting from the moment Mary learns she is carrying the baby Jesus. The Christiana Cultural Arts Center presents the show in Wilmington annually, and several local students participate in the show.

The first act of Carols in Color focuses on the confusion, helplessness and hardship Mary and Joseph faced as they dealt with her very unexpected pregnancy. Most of the first act is comprised of gorgeous solo dances -- Gabriel, Mary, Joseph and the Angel of God -- with their voices sung by a second performer on stage. Songs include "What Shall I Do," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and "No Place To Go." By the end of act 1, the baby has been born, and the stage begins to fill.

The second act opens with "Go Tell It On The Mountain," as Mary holds the baby Jesus, and the joyous celebration doesn't let up, through spectacular dance sequences and choral pieces. Featured are "Hallelujah" from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, "The First Noel," "Silent Night," with "Angels We Have Heard On High" finishing the show with the entire cast of dancers and singers on stage.

The music, costumes, choreography -- it all comes together for an unforgettable Christmas celebration.

Carols in Color was one show only in Delaware, but you can see it in Philadelphia at the John E. Allen Jr. Theater at Freedom Theater from December 12 - 21; call 1-800-838-3006 for tickets.

The Nutcracker: Family Fun in Dover

The Dance Theatre of Dover’s performance of The Nutcracker was good family entertainment. Little girls in poofy dresses and boys in suits with their parents in tow poured in through the front doors of the Schwartz Center for the Arts. This little jewel of a Victorian-style theater (built in 1904), nestled in the Capital’s historic district, is the perfect spot for ballet, theater and music: because of its size and excellent acoustics, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

The story of The Nutcracker is not unlike many popular fairy tales- there is always a lesson to be learned, usually by way of a frightening or difficult rite of passage. Clara (nicely performed by Laura Ward) must give up her treasured nutcracker doll and suffer a horrible encounter with a dancing corps of rats. The moment of terror is offset by visions of dancing flowers, candies and shimmering snowflakes.

Alycia Powell as the Snow Queen brought beauty and grace to the stage. Though Catherine Brooks appeared only briefly as the dainty Ballerina Doll, a snowflake and a flower, her precision and finesse were notable. Light on his feet was Eric McCutcheon, as he danced the part of the Nutcracker Soldier, and in the Spanish dance.

This rendition of the ballet-with music by Peter Ilych Tschaikovsky, choreography by Leve Ivanov and additional choreography and staging by Teresa Emmons-seemed to get everyone into the holiday spirit.

See: http://www.dancebtd.com