“American Buffalo” Brings Alumni Back to the Walden Stage in Strong Production

American Buffalo

By David Mamet

Directed by Hal Park

Reviewed by Keith Waits

Entire contents are copyright © 2012 Keith Waits. All rights reserved.

Jacob Lyle and Ben Park in American Buffalo.

Into the scorching summer heat comes this production from the Walden Theatre Alumni Company. David Mamet’s American Buffalo premiered in 1975, following the success of Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and firmly establishing him as one of the most important playwrights of the late 2oth century American theatre.

The annual alumni show at Walden has established something of a tradition of high-energy renderings of terrific plays from recent American theatre history. A handful of former Walden students, either in or recently graduated from college and hungry to take the stage, deliver meaningful work. This early, seminal work from Mamet is a perfect fit. Three shady characters contemplating the robbery of a valuable coin are as inept as they are unscrupulous. Donny owns the run-down junk shop where the coin was sold for what he suspects was much less than it is worth; Bobby is his younger friend and gofer; and finally, “Teach,” a fully dangerous and highly volatile personality who throws the plan out of balance.

Although certain details suggest the period from which the play originates, Jacob Lyle’sTeach is a character entirely of today. A penny-ante thug dressed in stovepipe jeans, camo jacket, and sporting haircut resembling a combed-forward Mohawk, he is a tidily drawn psychotic, exploding on to the stage in his first scene wearing his vicious, hair-trigger rage on his sleeve like a caution sign.

Elliot Cornett plays Bobby as a naive, dim-witted henchman who requires the rough, father-son dynamic with Donny to survive – a vulnerable figure that seems to have little choice but to be victimized.

The role of Donny seems slightly less interesting in contrast, but Ben Park brings solid authority and a growing desperation to the character, reliably occupying the center.

The conceit of placing two characters who historically would have been uninspired henchman in the roles of would-be criminal masterminds becomes a specific measure of society’s decline. Donny and Teach would be perfectly at home as gunsels for Jimmy Cagney or George Raft in a Warner Bros. movie from the 1930s, but they are out of their depth here and don’t know it. Watching them pretend otherwise is a succinct and potent mix of comedy and tragedy.

American Buffalo

July 6, 7, 8 @ 7:30 p.m. 

Walden Theatre
1123 Payne Street
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 589-0084

http://www.waldentheatre.org

The Appropriation of Memory: The Collages of Teri Dryden

By Keith Waits.

Entire contents are copyright © 2012 Keith Waits. All rights reserved. 

Teri Dryden. Photo by Mack Dryden.

An artist’s journey is most often an irregular path following emotional or at least instinctual cues – as much or more than logic or rational processes. In the case of Teri Dryden, the first steps were into performance in a populist vein, earning laughs working as a professional clown. Yet today her creativity expresses itself in visual art, in collage work that is delicate and controlled.

The contrast that one finds in the two occupations may capture a duality that is not uncommon in many artists, and one can still detect the taste for mischief and low humor discernible in the twinkle of Ms. Dryden’s eye. “I love slapstick!”

Monteith's Marrakech.

So her skills as an acrobat and pantomime led her to the Ringling Brothers clown college in Florida. After graduation she received a contract to perform with the legendary circus itself, touring for two years before “retiring” at the tender age of twenty-one. Eventually her acting ambitions led her to Los Angeles, where she had meaningful impact as a stage actress, marrying comedian and actor Mack Dryden and eventually turning her attentions from the outgoing, more extroverted energy of performing to the more intellectual and introspective expression of an abstract artist.

The transition was actually more gradual, with early work that consisted of highly representational drawings. But eventually she gave in to a fascination with texture and fundamental forms – a well-traveled path for so many artists; for surely it is a rare few that move in the other direction, switching from abstract to representational.

Nightfall.

Her most recent collages are a fascinating use of discarded books, using worn fragments of pages, flyleaf and endpapers, and cloth binding to create compositions that draw the viewer’s attention in the same manner in which a bibliophile is drawn to rare volumes. The structures – mostly, but not always, vertical – are divided by horizontal breaks and changes in material, becoming an abstract memory of the classic design of leather-bound tomes occupying library shelves for thousands of years.

The raw materials often incorporate damages that devalue the book but introduce unexpected organic beauty into the formalism of the rigidly stacked blocks and textured lines. These random elements, tears, stains and the occasional remnant of a worm or some other insect who has made a meal of the parchment, as captured by the artist’s eye, deliver idiosyncratic visual interference that sometimes lead to less abstract, even pictorial imagery. Ms. Dryden may be committed to the abstract, but these literal notes, whimsical and suggestive, prove equally compelling for their unexpected inclusion in her compositions.

Sacred Music.

As is typical of so many artists who utilize cast-off and salvaged materials (the books are discarded from libraries), the artistic choices are informed by the inherent qualities of the raw components. Yet she assiduously avoids the most obvious and omnipresent visual element of published materials: text. “Words are much too literal”, she says. “The viewer needs to discover things for themselves, so I’m reluctant to include anything like that.”

In the end, there is care and respect in how the materials are appropriated – no sense that the artists has violated the integrity of the bound volume or its contents, but instead, given the torn and faded elements new meaning and purpose. A new life.

Terri Dryden will be the speaker at Louisville Visual Art Association’s next Food for Thought luncheon, Tuesday, July 10, at noon at The Louisville Water Tower. Reservations are $25, or $15 for LVAA members, and must be made by noon on Monday, July 9. Lunch is provided from Café Fraiche.

Call 502-896-2146 or visit http://www.louisvillevisualart.org/food.html.

12 Questions for an Actor: Eric Welch

Eric Welch is proud to finally be producing the play Circus Circus at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. This play is very close to Eric, and it means a lot to him to premiere it here in his native city. His latest projects are: the film Many Monsters of Sadness which premiered in the Nashville Film Festival, Finnigan Festival #5, and his latest photo shoot with Christopher Caswell. Whenever Eric has free time, he loves to volunteer at Down Syndrome of Louisville and can’t wait to return to volunteer after the show is over. If he isn’t working on a project or volunteering, then you will find him in the gym. This is his biggest adventure to date, producing and acting in a play he co-wrote with Brian Walker, Circus Circus. Besides himself, he is very proud to have a cast that includes Benjamin Wood, Robert Hatfield, Kayla Gill, Corey Long, Jeremy Gutierrez, Christina Biller, Deanna Gillispie, Taylor Olivia Roebuck and Andy Epstein. It is directed by George Bailey.

1.    How long have you been an actor?

 I was in my first production when I was 21 years old, but I have always loved to entertain. I really didn’t get serious until after attending New York Film Academy in LA when I was 24 years old. After that I knew this was my true passion.

2.    What inspires you?

Creating a life on stage or film that triggers an emotional response from the audience is what I love to see. 

3.    What was the first play where you felt, “I am an actor”?

I’m not sure if it was a play or the training I was doing when I was in LA. I was working with Anthony Montes who studied under Sanford Meisner. Being able to learn how to connect to myself and trust my feelings really led me to feel, “I am an actor.”

4.    What has been your favorite role?

That’s tough, because I’ve enjoyed them all. I think I would have to say “Dennis” from Dirty Sexy Derby Play by Brian Walker. For one, Brian got me up onstage and following what I love. Second, “Dennis” is a fun guy!

5.    What is your least favorite role?

I haven’t had a lot of roles yet, so I can’t say I have a least favorite. I’ve learned something from every one.

6.    What is your dream role?

My dream role would be a character that I am able to create a truthful life to, while working with an amazing cast. There is not one specific role I want.

7.    What is the best direction you have ever been given?

"Get out your head and listen." That’s a tough one for me sometimes, because I’m pretty hard on myself. Another one I liked was, "Stop acting; acting is being fake. Live and be truthful in the moment." That’s something I really like, too, because you have to feel what you are portraying. If not, you’re just going through the motions.

8.    What is the worst?

The worst direction for me is not letting an actor try things.

9.    Who is your favorite playwright?

My buddy Brian Walker!

10. What makes the local theatre scene so strong?

The community and their love for the theatre. We here in Louisville have so many talented people who love what they do. That shines through in the work that is presented here. I am very grateful to be involved with the community theatre scene. I learn so much from everyone.

11. What are the weaknesses?

Sometimes that tightness of the theatre scene makes it hard for new actors to get involved. But I believe that is changing drastically with the growing auditions being held around here.

12. If you couldn’t be an actor, what would be your choice as a profession?

A vagabond!

Circus Circus

July 12, 13, 13, 19, 20, 21 @ 8 p.m.

The MeX Theatre

The Kentucky Center

For tickets call: 502-584-7777

www.kentuckycenter.org

Louisville Artist Illustrates New Children's Book

The Ice Cream Hotel

by Jack Johnston; illustrations by Annette Cable

Culver, Indiana:  Norwen Publications, $17.95

Review by Katherine Dalton

Entire contents copyright  2012 by Katherine Dalton. All rights reserved.

Hot? Tired? Bored? Sick of balanced meals, and under age 8? Then The Ice Cream Hotel is for you. This month we leave the post-modern essayists and noir novelists behind and take a moment out for a book for the kids. And with summer hard upon us, a story about ice cream seems right for the season.

Louisville artist Annette Cable has illustrated The Ice Cream Hotel to a rhyming text by Indiana writer (and now publisher) Jack Johnston. This hardcover picture book is right for toddlers through early elementary readers. It is a colorful exploration of what one little boy and his dog find when they take a special vacation to a place where everything is cold, sweet and edible – right down to the bed. 

If your young reader likes to use the computer, the book offers a search-and-find challenge and an invitation to go to TheIceCreamHotel.com for more stuff to do when she's finished reading – puzzles, word games and coloring pages.

The book is currently available only from the website: http://theicecreamhotel.com/

About the Author

Jack Johnston likes to make things, paddle canoes, read to his kids and basically spend a lot of time with his family. He lives in Culver, Indiana.

About the Illustrator

Annette Cable is a freelance illustrator and children’s art teacher in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives with her husband, Mark, also an artist; her daughter, Izzy; a dog (who loves tennis balls); four cats; and a guinea pig. You can see more of her art at www.annettecable.com.

One of the Best New Musicals in Recent Years, Tony Winner “Billy Elliot” Comes to Louisville

Billy Elliot

A review by Keith Waits.

Entire contents are copyright © 2012 Keith Waits. All rights reserved.

Kylend Hetherington as Billy Elliot.
Photo courtesy of Broadway Across America.

Billy Elliot is a hugely enjoyable musical that gleefully smashes conventional stereotypes of masculinity and exalts creativity. Staged with inventive abandon, it is a potent piece of commercial theatre.

Famously adapted from the original, non-musical film by the screenwriter, Lee Hall, and the director, Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John, the story of the English working-class boy who finds a passion for ballet while his coal-mining community is destroyed by the year-long labor strike in the 1980s is given a most passionate reading in this translation. In a time when so many modern musicals struggle to overcome mediocre scores and predictable plotlines, Billy Elliot is emotionally engaging at an intimate level while also working on a broader canvas with a galvanizing dramatic urgency.

The first act features several numbers that leave a lasting impression. In “We’d Go Dancing,” Billy’s grandmother remembers the contrasting romance and brutality of her marriage in a surprisingly complex song of memory; and an even greater narrative challenge is met in the lengthy “Solidarity,” wherein Billy’s growth as a dancer in class alternates with scenes of the deepening labor crisis that is genuinely thrilling. In a particularly delirious passage, young ballet students in rehearsal togs swan around in partnership with adult coal miners.

Most strikingly, the title character expresses his rage and frustration in “Angry Dance,” a powerful featured dance that juxtaposes the slight figure against a phalanx of riot police armed with body-length plexi-glass shields. It is a vivid staging that carries a modern and stylish visceral punch.

But all the clever stagecraft is in service to themes of identity and loss and examinations of masculinity and gender that are bracingly delivered in a fashion both straightforward and joyous. When Billy’s gay friend Michael leads the exuberant ode to flamboyancy, “Expressing Yourself,” it is a rousing and crowd-pleasing spectacle that even the strictest social conservative might find difficult to resist.

And the social agenda in Billy Elliot is unmistakable. Political satire concerning Margaret Thatcher establishes the place and time (complete with a puppet that was reminiscent of the famous British television show, Spitting Image) and affords the opportunity for commentary that is unabashedly liberal, even if the passage of time has somewhat lessened the bite. Still, the pleas for tolerance and understanding from people who are enduring such difficulties is one of the elements that lifts Billy Elliot above your average, by-the-numbers musical.

Kylend Hetherington played Billy Elliot with a nice feeling for the grounded, working-class foundation of the character and danced with great skill. In the final moments he performs a magnificent solo that effectively merges the triumph of the performer with the triumph of the character. He was well matched by each member of the ensemble, but Cameron Clifford was certainly a standout as Michael. (Both roles are multi-cast and may be played by different cast members at other performances.) Rich Hebert as his dad also straddled the tricky gap of naturalism and humor that is an inevitable characteristic in a musical about such tough, real world topics. As the dance teacher who first inspires him, understudy Susan Haefner was equally fine, leaving no trace of disappointment that this audience had missed the assigned performer.

At the end, when the story quietly finishes and the curtain falls, the entire company takes the stage to execute a high-energy dance number that is shameful in its eager-to-please energy but entirely irresistible to an audience that was already on its feet in appreciation before the curtain call. It was certainly a good deal of fun, but Billy Elliot earns the audience’s loyalty in the meat of the show with well-timed moments of sublime theatricality and quality of performance that are all to rare in contemporary musical theatre. Watching such moments, it is no mystery that the show has enjoyed such success. Every Tony award and accolade is well deserved. Billy Elliot is a must-see.

Billy Elliot

June 26-July 1, 2012

PNC Broadway in Louisville

The Kentucky Center

501 West Main Street

Louisville, KY, 40202

502-589-7777

http://louisville.broadway.com/

Dinner re)Works Serves Up a Colorful Medley of Handcrafted Ceramics

Ceramics by Steven Cheek. Photo by Mo McKnight Howe.

A Louisville Visual Art Association Exhibit at The University of Louisville’s Cressman Art Center

Reviewed by Emily Pike


Entire contents are copyright ©2012, Emily Pike.  All Rights reserved.


Dinner(re)Works, presented by the Louisville Visual Arts Association in partnership with the University of Louisville Hite Art Institute, is a five-week exhibition and fundraising sale of beautifully handcrafted ceramic dinnerware. Praised as “one of the nation’s top ceramic shows of the year,” this year’s presentation features work by 16 acclaimed ceramics artists from throughout North America, three of whom are Kentuckians, and includes a visually delicious 2D companion exhibit of oversized photographic works by Julius Friedman, offering a stunning backdrop to the featured ceramics. (There are also educational workshops, lectures and fundraising events associated with the exhibit. More information on these is available at www.louisvillevisualart.org.)

Dinner(re)Works at The Cressman Center.
Photo by Rick Sneed.

The Dinner Works series was a major LVAA fundraiser for over two decades before a brief hiatus beginning in 2010. For this year’s return of the event, curator Fong Choo has redefined the exhibit, changing the name to Dinner (re)Works and stepping back from the elaborate whole-table designs of years past to focus more clearly and simply on the art.

In most museums or exhibits, presentation of the artwork is so understated as to go nearly unnoticed. By contrast, the carefully executed gallery design of Dinner (re)Works instantly sets a delightfully crisp and contemporary tone, contributing substantially to the overall success of the show. Not an inch of the space is either underused or overcrowded; the creative arrangement of pieces fills the room with interest and allows for organic flow around the viewing area. Round display platforms have been suspended from the ceiling, hovering above the floor at various heights; and while each is still recognizable as a table set for dinner, this unexpected alternative to actual dining furniture creatively highlights each artist’s work, chicly elevating the pieces from samples of dishware to individual mini-collections of artwork. The differing heights and color patterns of the platforms, together with Friedman’s exquisitely vivid photographic prints arranged along the perimeter, create a vibrant space full of visual and textural treats. Much credit is due to Choo and project manager, Sarah Stalker, for bringing the exhibit so brilliantly to life.

Detail of Fong Choo PLates. Photo bu Mo McKnight Howe.

The work itself is a richly diverse assortment of shapes, colors, patterns and glazes. Each artist’s display platform contains four place settings of matching dishware, with additional platters, teapots and other containers dotting shelves along the walls or in corners.

Kentucky artist Steven Cheek displayed several pieces of particular interest. His hand-carved porcelain dinner place settings were engraved with dozens of leaves and coated in a glossy, soft green glaze. Two nearby containers were of the same gentle color but had a matte finish and were carved very differently – one with overlapping skulls, and the other with an assortment of toxic chemicals' molecular names. The two pieces were so similar in style, yet the choice of engravings distinguished them completely from one another. I would have loved to talk with the artist to learn more about what inspires his design choices.

Fong Choo Dinnerware. Photo by Mo McKnight Howe.

Curator Choo is another local artist with work in the show. His dinnerware pieces are sleek and colorful but not quite as masterfully crafted as his signature teapots, several of which are also featured. Choo has said of clay that "one must push the limits, test waters, search, prod and explore its many boundaries." The unique beauty of each of his teapots is testament to this attitude.

All work in the show is available for purchase, with proceeds going to benefit the Louisville Visual Arts Association, which identifies itself as “a catalyst for education and participation in the visual arts.” The association strives to support local artists through exhibition opportunities and artist advocacy services, such as micro-loan programs and marketing support; and it hosts extracurricular Children’s Fine Art Classes in an attempt to counterbalance cuts in public school arts education. It also sponsors Open Doors, a program that pairs local professional artists with at-risk communities, giving these underserved populations the opportunity to learn about art and collaborate in creating works of self-expression.

The final Dinner(re)Works event will take place June 29, 6-9 p.m. at The Cressman Center. Reservations are available by calling 502-896-2146 or by visiting www.louisvillevisualart.org.

Dinner(re)Works

Through July 7

Wednesday – Friday, 11-6 p.m.

Saturday, 11-3 p.m.

Cressman Center Gallery
100 East Main Street
Phone: 502.852.0288

Pandora’s Wedding Is a “Hilariously Funny, Often Touching” Production - “A Perfect Night Out During PRIDE Month”

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

By Anthony J. Wilkinson

Directed by Lucas Adams

Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley

Entire contents are copyright © 2012, Craig Nolan Highley.  All rights reserved.

Pandora Productions has another jewel in their tiara with their latest production, the hilariously funny, often touching and surprisingly (dare I say it?) family-friendly My Big Gay Italian Wedding.

The show originally opened off-Broadway in 2003 and has been in production all over the world practically ever since. Pandora is using the revised script from 2009, keeping the story contemporary with many current references to Obama, Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives and others. It’s great fun from beginning to end, and a nice change of pace for Louisville’s only LGBTQ theater company.

The story involves a stereotypical Catholic, Italian-American New York family and the chaos that arises when their son Anthony announces he has gotten engaged to his boyfriend, Andrew. Anthony won’t get married, though, without his mother’s blessing, and she won’t give it without two conditions: her favorite priest must perform the ceremony, and Andrew’s estranged mother must be involved. When both conditions prove impossible to meet, the couple must resort to a convoluted mess of lies, schemes and cross-dressing. The only thing missing is slamming doors!

Director Lucas Adams keeps things moving at a feverish pace, and his cast is, for the most part, up to the challenge. Standouts include real-life married couple Rick and Barb O’Daniel-Munger as Anthony’s overbearing parents. Kristy Calman is a scream as husband-stealing Aunt Toniann; and Leah Roberts and Susan Crocker are hysterical as a broken-up lesbian couple who are so nasty to each other you can tell they are still in love.  Ben Gierhart, Patrick Vaughn and Corey Long are each larger-than-life as Anthony and Andrew’s friends; and Ted Lesley and Kate Holland have some great comedic moments as Father Rosalia and Anthony’s sister, respectively. Playing multiple roles, Laura Ellis gets to really shine in some truly memorable moments; and as the central couple, Amos Dreisbach and Phillip Rivera are so adorable and sweet you just want the world for them.

But the icing on the cake for this show is Neil Robertson’s performance as flamboyant (to say the absolute least!) wedding planner Maurizio. From the over-the-top skin-tight leather-and-fur costumes (by Donna Lawrence-Downs) to his flawless German accent and screeching hysterics, he steals every scene he’s in. He is an amazing performer and the Louisville theater community is really lucky to have him, and this may be one of his greatest creations. It has to be seen to be believed!

On the down side, some of the New York dialects did sound a bit forced, and I did notice some missed opportunities in the script itself. The man-in-drag subplot really has no big payoff or even very many laughs (although Patrick Vaughn is actually quite lovely in drag – who knew?). And the character of Gregorio, the ex-boyfriend of one of the characters, is so nasty and off-putting it feels out of place in such an otherwise farcical story; but actor Michael Mayes does make an impression in the role.

Those are very minor quibbles though in a show that kept me thoroughly entertained. Surprisingly for a Pandora production, this is a show I wouldn’t be afraid to bring kids to, as there really is very little that would be inappropriate for younger viewers. And other than an open shirt that reveals Mr. Mayes’ impressive six-pack, none of Pandora’s trademark nudity is on display here either.

A truly wonderful production of a very funny play, this makes for a perfect night out during Pride Month!

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

Starring Kristy Calman, Susan Crocker, Amos Dreisbach, Laura Ellis, Ben Gierhart, Kate Holland, Ted Lesley, Corey Long, Michael Mayes, Barb O’Daniel-Munger, Rick O’Daniel-Munger, Phillip Rivera, Leah Roberts, Neil Robertson and Patrick Vaughn.

June 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, & 24 at 7:30 p.m. with one matinee Saturday, June 23, at 2:30 p.m. Advance tickets are now on sale for $16, $18 day of show. 

Pandora Productions

Bingham Theatre at Actors Theatre

315 West Main Street

Louisville, KY

502.216.5502

http://www.PandoraProds.org