DTC Wears "Crowns" Proudly!

The Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) concludes its 33^rd Season with the gospel musical, Crowns, written by Regina Taylor. The musical's familiar and joyful gospel songs and spirituals transports the DTC audience from a theatre in Wilmington to a southern Baptist church!

The story of Crowns is rather slim, but what can you expect from a musical based on a book of pictures? However, it's the uplifting and sometimes humorous music and performances that make Crowns a stirring and exciting production. The stellar cast directed by DTC favorite, Kevin Ramsey, brings their "A" game to the stage and ignites the theatre to a standing ovation at the conclusion of the show!

Yolanda, played by Ashlei Dabney, is a street-wise teenager living in Brooklyn with her family. After Yolanda's brother is killed, Yolanda is sent to live in the south with her grandmother (Mother Shaw), played by Barbara D. Mills.  Mother Shaw and her friends teach Yolanda about the historical and contemporary social functioning of the hats they wear to church and around town. Of course, life-lessons are taught through these stories.

The ensemble cast of six women and one man has a great rapport. Their soaring voices deliver such classics as "Oh When the Saints" and "I've Got Joy Like a Fountain". The lady sitting next to me couldn't resist singing along!  Ms. Mills' performance is stellar: she has a commanding, matriarchal presence that is needed in the portrayal of a good Christian southern woman who dons many hats. Listening to her sing is like being saved.  A performance that is not to be missed!

Oh, I can't forget to mention the crowns! Designed by Brian Strachan, the hats are large and colorful to match the stories of the women who wear them! The gorgeous hats will be sold at the end of the run, with the proceeds benefiting DTC.

  

Crowns runs through April 29th. For more information visit www.delawaretheatre.org or call 302.594.1100. 

Distant Voices: Bringing them Closer

I left Distant Voices Touring Theatre’s afternoon salon with a lot to think about. Like most people, I had learned about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II in school. Yet the group’s vivid portrayal of Hiroaki Nishimura’s experience as an internee communicated this despicable chapter in our country’s history in a very personal, poignant way.

Founded in 1999 by Julie Nishimura and Danny Peak, the theater group produces and tours original plays based on American social justice events and issues. Actors Michelle Jacob Stradley, David Stradley and Danny Peak create the scene of Hiroaki Nishimura’s stark existence as a prisoner. Julie Nishimura plays a touching and powerful accompaniment on the piano. The music is by composers such as Copland, Debussy and Gershwin. Nishimura also plays compositions commissioned from Robert Hogenson, which are based on Japanese children’s music and folk songs.

Hiroaki Nishimura was interned in 1942 along with about 110,000 other Japanese Americans and Japanese. Though he becomes just “number 14786” to the US Government, he still takes pride in his country, celebrating the 4^th of July along with fellow internees. It is not until 1960 that he is repatriated as an American citizen. The play, based on writings from his diary, details his dehumanizing experience.

The story of Hiroaki Nishimura, Julie Nishimura’s father and Danny Peak’s father-in-law, is an also an excellent teaching resource. The group has toured extensively in colleges and schools in this country and to the Artslink Festival in England. They have been recognized by Pacem in Terris with the Peacemakers Among Us award.

The group also performed portion of September Echoes, commission by Saints Andrew and Matthew church in Wilmington. The play deals with the repercussions of 9/11, while exploring themes of racism and human rights. Michelle Jacob Stradley plays Nadin Hamoui, a young Syrian-American who is jailed along with her mother, who eventually dies. The parallels between the internments of the Japanese Americans and the treatment of Arabs and Arab Americans are unmistakable.

With their thought provoking and moving pieces, perhaps Distant Voices Touring Theatre might help keep history from repeating itself.

The group will perform Distant Voices in its entirety at the Newark Public Library on April 29 at 2:00.

For more information about Distant Voices Touring Theatre: http://dvtt.net/home.htm

CAPE benefits Newark

Living in Newark has considerable perks. One day I can listen to collaborative pianist Roger Vignoles on CDs owned by the Newark Free Library and the next day I can hear him live at Gore Recital Hall thanks to the sponsorship of the University Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural and Public Events (CAPE).

Roger Vignoles is one of the greatest living collaborative pianists of our time and he certainly proved it in his accompaniment of UD faculty member Robert Brandt in the Winterreise by Franz Schubert.

This rather underadvertised concert had a small audience -- the most vocal of whom seemed to be baritone Dr. Robert Brandt’s students. But those who missed this evening missed hearing a perfectionist. Mr. Vignoles’ technical skills are so solid that he is able to concentrate on the finer points of absolute dynamic control – final chords which he dared to make so soft that the notes risked not speaking – yet they did. His remarkable concentration made incredible changes of mood and tone within the rich variations of the music Schubert used for the twenty-four cloyingly romantic poems by Wilhelm Müller.

Dr. Brandt is also quite fluent in German which makes for a convincing portrayal of ideas expressed in colloquial fluency. His voice is quite rich and strong and he still seemed fresh and energetic even after singing for over an hour with no break.

When stars like Mr. Vignoles are lured to a tiny town like Newark, it means the music department at the University of Delaware has reached a level of sophistication which can only be attributed to their excellent staff and to the economic power of the University Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural and Public Events.

Go CAPE!