Saturday, February 21, 2004
Top 5 Reasons You Must See "Candide"
After some time to reflect on last night's Opening Night (and struggling to narrow my list down to JUST 5 reasons) here are my top 5:#5: Come see Foothill pull a luxuriant rabbit out of a threadbare hat again...and support their efforts
Although The Foothill Music Theatre acting company and production crew is always drawn from around the Bay Area, the budget is part of the college's overall budget. And you know how California's educational institutions have gotten hit over the last few years. See how so much can be done with so little.
#4: You don't get too many chances to see this show...so take advantage
One of the great things about Foothill Music Theatre's Winter Musical is that it is usually a lesser-known or more rarely produced show. Or, it's a musical done with an innovative, intimate, smaller-scale approach. It is always a unique experience. "Candide" qualifies on both counts. And it's performed straight through, no intermission, which gets you out of there in under two hours. Having sat through the 3 hour plus marathon musicals at some other local venues I won't mention by name, I can tell you my back and my seat appreciated the great pace!
#3: I love the sheep, so sue me
My first experience with "Candide" was seeing the New York City Opera version on PBS when I lived in NYC. I can't exactly explain why, but I remember the sheep more than almost anything else (except perhaps the radiant Erie Mills as Cunegonde) in that production. And last night I loved the sheep all over again. There's just something wonderfully silly about them, and it is just one way the show refuses to take itself too seriously, despite its serious score and French Lit source material.
#2: Singers who can really sing...unamplified
I like "American Idol" as much as the next closet "American Idol" fan, but I get tired of all the showmanship and single syllables with 17 notes attached. "Candide" will satisfy your urge to hear notes sung, sustained, with lovely tone, your urge to hear music that actually sounds live, not lip-synched, your urge to hear diction that allows you to understand every word and your urge to see singers who seem to understand what it is they are singing about. Michael Amaral and Keite Davis, as Candide and Cunegonde, simply sound beautiful. Last night's performance reminded me why the Idols still seem like amateurs singing karaoke most of the time.
And the #1 reason you MUST see "Candide": The score, the score the score
This score is thrilling, and the cast executes it SO well. It's not just the tremendous work of the principals as they sing the various solos and duets. The ensemble sings its way through incredible pieces such as "Auto-da-fe", "Bon Voyage" and the piece de resistance, the finale, "Make Our Garden Grow". To hear the final verse of this finale, sung by the full cast, a capella, in 8-part harmony...it's almost indescribable. It gets you at your very core. It is thrilling and inspiring and moving. Unbelievably well sung, and you have the chance to experience this score live, up-close, unamplified, in your very own backyard.
You gotta go. You gotta see it. You gotta HEAR it.
Okay, I'm a little verklempt now. Hmmm...BernSTINE or BernSTEEN...discuss amongst yourselves.
One Funny Item from Opening Night
So after the show had come down, and folks were milling about, Stewart, our Pangloss etc, was removing his wig. What should he find, but a wig pin sticking out of it as he removes it. Turns out someone backstage thought he was done with the wig and had secured it to the wig stand with the pin. He didn't notice, pulled the wig off the stand and secured it to his head.I think we should consider ourselves lucky that he didn't pull it on TOO vigorously.
And that no one gave him a congratulatory pat on the head after the show came down. Good things he's tall!
Friday, February 20, 2004
Opening Night Was a Big Success: More to Come
Just wanted to quickly post and say that Opening Night went really well. The audience was warm & appreciative. The performances were solid like everyone's been performing for weeks. And the finale is truly one of the greatest anthems in musical theatre.More to come tomorrow, including my top 5 reasons you MUST see "Candide"
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Meet Our Heroine: Ms. Keite Davis as Cunegonde
Keite is a very familiar face in the Bay Area theatre scene, both in muscials and non-musicals. Keite may be most notable for her versatility. There are not too many actresses who can pull off Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" and Amalia in "She Loves Me"; Nina in "The Seagull" and Poopay in "Communicating Doors". But Keite has done that and much more. For her full, rich theatrical history you can go to her profile at Artsopolis.com.But I'm here to tell you of couple of things you might not know about Keite from her resume. Like the time she was Nimue in "Camelot" at Peninsula Center Stage, and the Guinevere lost her voice. Keite agreed to be offstage and sing the role, while letting the regular Guinevere be onstage, essentially lip-synching the musical portions of the show for that performance. The Musical Director of that show sings Keite's praises to this day for her professionalism and graciousness.
And then there's the way Keite immerses herself in a role. I solicited everyone's thoughts about Tech Weekend, so I'd have lots of nice little tidbits for the blog this week. Keite's response was a recap of her character's experience over Tech Weekend.
It's really long and quite amusing. Here's an excerpt:
"...The old lady was left on a coast along the way to Constantinople, where the pirates were headed (thank goodness, her stories were really becoming rather tiresome, all "I have one buttock this" and "Were you to see my ravaged backside alone" that). I thought we were in for a fun time together but the pirates sold me off to a very rich gentleman in Constantinople who dressed me in a diaphanous purple number and plenty of gold jewelry (shiny!) and put me inside great big pies to, erm, DANCE for his guests..."
I can't print the entire recap, as it would be quite the spoiler for those who are unfamiliar with the "Candide" storyline. But, tell you what, if you email me using the link in the side bar and request it, I will happily forward it.
Bottom line: Keite is a pro, and a wonderfully silly and charming Cunegonde. You gotta see this girl in action, and your chance starts TOMORROW!!!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Reports Come In From Tech Weekend: Day Two
The great news is that by Sunday night one full, continuous run-thru of the show had been achieved!Yes, there were still electrical issues.
And, this newly converted theatre space is a little short on the backstage facilities, oh, you know, like dressing rooms! So you have many costume and prop changes happening in a teeny tiny amount of space...ever seen "Noises Off"? Kinda like that.
Don't trouble yourself about it though: First of all, theatre-folk have never been noted for their modesty, and second of all Set Designer and Master Problem Solver Joe Ragey had constructed indoor/outdoor dressing rooms and a prop room right outside the theatre by Monday evening! (I'm having visions of a whole new career for him on 'Trading Spaces' or 'Extreme Home Makeovers'.)
And then there were the minor mishaps:
Take, for example, the stirring opening of the show. "Candide" features a lovely Overture, and this production's verson is staged. And the Overture turned out to be one of those moments that was staged rather late in the process. (Remember...theatre isn't really a linear experience until you get to the later stages.)
Sunday evening the cast ran through the piece, with vigor and with all the grace they could muster. The intricate, frenetic work was successfully executed, until the very final moment. All hands on stage turned to triumphantly gesture to the colorful, festive "Candide" banner hoisted high above...and there it was, hoisted, but...ooops...tangled beyond recognition. Talk about a mood-breaker.
But such adversity can only make us stronger. And yes, there WAS a full run-through of the show Sunday, despite electrical system problems, despite costume confusion, despite the wind and the rain, despite the very cramped conditions backstage. We are on a roll and going to be more than ready for Opening Night (in 3 short days...hint hint.)
Meet Guest Artist Stewart Lyle, as Voltaire, Pangloss and 3 other characters
Long-time Foothill audience members may remember Stewart from his stint as John Wilkes Booth in Sondheim's "Assassins" back in 1995. But this is Stewart's first trip back up the hill since joining the ranks of Actor's Equity, the professional actors' union.Unlike many in the theatre world, Stewart didn't get his start in Junior Theatre or even High School. In fact, Stewart got his start because his dad became a piano bar junkie! One day they asked him to get up and sing...and it turned out he was pretty good!
Family influenced his career choice in a lot of ways. When Stewart discovered the theatre, he was halfway through a degree at UC Berkeley and really wanted to hang it up and switch over to performing arts. But Mom advised Stewart to finish what he had started, do it for 5 years while performing in community shows, etc., and then go after the acting bug full time if he still wanted to.
Well, that UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering degree has paid for a lot of voice lessons, and allowed Stewart do a lot of things both as an actor and in his personal life that would have been very difficult, if not impossible, without it. (Thanks Mom!)
Joining the union has resulted in an even stronger focus on an acting career. That focus is really necessary, since along with the increased compensation and status of the union comes a decrease in the amount of work out there, and an increase in the distances one may have to travel to get it. Stewart is living in Oakland, so Los Altos Hills is no short trek for him. So Stewart has been spending less time with his consulting practice, and more time acting...which was the plan all along!
Where might you have seen Stewart recently? Well, he just finished 9 months playing Jerry, Buddy Holly's drummer (and really being the drummer!) in "Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story" with Pacific Repertory in Carmel and San Jose Stage in San Jose. He also was featured as Henry Ford in TheatreWorks' acclaimed production of "Ragtime". And he's done time in a couple of Morris Bobrow productions, "Party of One", the long-running SF hit and "Are We Almost There."
Foothill Music Theatre is happy to welcome Stewart back to the intimate Winter musical, after almost nine years!
More Reports from Tech Weekend: The Costume Parade
Costumes are starting to be worn now, but it's not always so simple.Costume Drama #1: Overheard On Stage
Robin: Chris, do you think you'd be able to put the grass skirt on out here?
Chris: Sure, as soon as I find something to wear under it.
Feel free to get the same funny visual on it that I did!
Costume Drama #2: OverSEEN On Stage
About half way through the evening, a certain 'sensitive' costume problem was discovered. Mike, who is playing Candide, had a hole in his pants. Apparently, his crotch got hungry and started eating through his pants.
Costume Drama #3: Barely Making It On Stage
Ensemble member Lyndsay Faye reports being so rushed during a costume change that she had no choice but to run on stage with her arms not yet in the sleeves of her cotume. Might seem like a puzzling choice, but I guess she wanted to avoid a Super Bowl Size Scandal (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)
And yes, I realize I'm dating myself pretty severely with that Monty Python reference.
Reports Come In from Tech Weekend: Day One
Reports are trickling in from Tech Weekend, and as expected it was a grueling two days.Remember way back to our very first rehearsal, which was conducted by flashlight? Well, before anyone even walked in the door those electrical problems revisited "Candide." Frankly I'm going to see it as a good omen...you know coming full circle, the circle of life, something like that? Yes, I realize that's really reaching, but you gotta look for the silver lining!
Everyone arrived Saturday morning to find that half of the electrical required to set the show had failed, and with this being a 3-day weekend, a replacement part on the electrical system was not even available until Tuesday. But, in the time-honored tradition of "the show must go on", we were bound and determined to make it work.
Fortunately, the heat was not affected, and so the extra clothing everyone had worn, just in case, could be shed. This turned out to be fortunate, as the rains had started, and the long trek from the parking lot had left everyone soaked like proverbial rats!
Working from 10:00 until 6:00, in the half-lit theatre, we got about half way through the show, so we were wearily sent home to prepare for an even longer day on Sunday.
Meet "Late Blooming" Ensemble Member: Bill Ereñata
Six years ago Bill had never been in a theatrical production. Fast forward, and he's done 25 shows in the past six years! How did that happen?Well, a few years back Bill's younger son was getting married, and Bill wanted to sing at the wedding. Not wanting to make a blooper reel on "America's Most Humiliating Home Videos" Bill retained the services of a voice coach. Bill had never sung, but this coach believed that everyone is born with a natural voice. She felt that Bill had a "big voice", and that it needed to be heard. She was the one who sent Bill out to be heard.
Doing the math, you can see that 25 shows in six years is A LOT of being heard! In fact Bill estimates he's spending nearly as much time now with the theater as he did with work pre-retirement, only now really having a ball.
Bill drives over 15 miles each way to work at Foothill, because he feels Jay Manley and the rest of the staff are professionals from whom he can continue to learn, and because a lot of other folks feel the same way, so there is always a great, talented bunch of actors in the shows from all over the Bay Area. Considering himself a neophyte, Bill likes to watch and learn. But he also enjoys Jay's willingness to bring to life productions which you would not normally see in the local community theaters.
Bill finds the rehearsal process to be the most exciting phase, as there are risks being taken, new things tried, and lots of learning going on. Once the audience enters the picture, the majority of the work is done. Of course, being live theater, there are always unexpected things which can occur, and that can be very exciting.
To quote Bill directly:
"I think that it is important to view each performance as an opening night, and to ensure that each audience receives the best that can be given. I also think that audiences can provide some additional energy which may directly affect the energy of the cast and therefore the performance. But, the cast must be willing and able to generate the performance even without this."
Bill may be a relative newbie, but he already sounds like a pro.
